We already know that the world has become a dangerous place for journalists. 75 members of the media have been killed so far this year; over a third of these in Iraq.
With that in mind the news of the murder of the Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow is still a sobering reflection of the current state of play in Russia. Her coverage of the war in Chechnya was often critical of Kremlin policies and included accounts of violence and torture by Russian soldiers and government officials. The murder came a day before she was due to publish a new article on the conflict including tales of kidnapping and torture by the Russian army. It is not yet known if the article was in the hands of Novaya Gazeta and, if not, what its whereabouts were. The Novaya Gazeta has offered a reward in the neighbourhood of one million USD for information related to the slaying which bore all the hallmarks of a professional hit. The reward offered suggests that the newspaper probably lacks confidence in the Kremlin's ability or willingness to adequately investigate.
One must ask who stands to gain from her death and when one does all evidence points to the government and the security forces. Whether or not Vladimir Putin was involved it is certain that he stands to gain. As yet neither he nor the government have made any comment.
Ominously Ms. Politkovskaya had said, in reference to the current climate in Russia, the following to a conference last December:
With that in mind the news of the murder of the Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow is still a sobering reflection of the current state of play in Russia. Her coverage of the war in Chechnya was often critical of Kremlin policies and included accounts of violence and torture by Russian soldiers and government officials. The murder came a day before she was due to publish a new article on the conflict including tales of kidnapping and torture by the Russian army. It is not yet known if the article was in the hands of Novaya Gazeta and, if not, what its whereabouts were. The Novaya Gazeta has offered a reward in the neighbourhood of one million USD for information related to the slaying which bore all the hallmarks of a professional hit. The reward offered suggests that the newspaper probably lacks confidence in the Kremlin's ability or willingness to adequately investigate.
One must ask who stands to gain from her death and when one does all evidence points to the government and the security forces. Whether or not Vladimir Putin was involved it is certain that he stands to gain. As yet neither he nor the government have made any comment.
Ominously Ms. Politkovskaya had said, in reference to the current climate in Russia, the following to a conference last December:
"People sometimes pay with their lives for saying out loud what they think. People can even get killed for just giving my information. I am not the only one in danger."
In a further bitter irony her murder came on the day of the dedication of a memorial in Bayeux, France to the journalists killed worldwide since 1944.
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