On 7 October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya, a Novaya Gazeta journalist and one of Russia's most respected investigative reporters, was found shot dead in a presumed contract killing in her apartment block in central Moscow.
On 9 June 2014, after several arrests, releases and retrials, the Moscow's highest criminal court sentenced five men to prison for the murder of the journalist. Two organisers of the team that murdered Ms. Politkovskaya received life sentences in prison.
However, the case remains unresolved until now because of significant indications that those convicted were fulfilling a contract killing to silence an investigative journalist on somebody else's orders. The investigation has still not revealed who stood behind the killing and the motive for the murder.
Ms. Politkovskaya wrote accurately about human rights abuses in Chechnya and was known for her criticism of the policies of the Russian President and Government in the region.
On the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Ms. Politkovskaya, all the partner organisations of this Platform are jointly submitting this case of ongoing impunity following the murder of the journalist.
The eight organisations together call on the government of the Russian Federation to ensure that all those responsible for her violent death are brought to justice through an open and transparent judicial process. And they call for renewed and determined measures to be taken to end impunity for all crimes committed against journalists in Russia.
The eight organisations together call on the government of the Russian Federation to ensure that all those responsible for her violent death are brought to justice through an open and transparent judicial process. And they call for renewed and determined measures to be taken to end impunity for all crimes committed against journalists in Russia.
The case will remain open and unresolved until all those who ordered this crime are identified and brought to justice.
By: N. Peter Kramer
