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Amnesty urges Moscow to end impunity on second anniversary of Politkovskaya’s death
"Human rights activists and journalists are the ones who bring to the public's attention the failure of governments to live up to their promises of justice", Amnesty International said in a press release, "however, it is the human rights activists and journalists in Russia who too often themselves face harassment by the authorities and even become victims of human rights abuses themselves." The human rights organization marked the second anniversary of Anna Politkovskaia's death by issuing an urgent plea for Moscow to end impunity for the perpetrators of violent attacks on journalists and human rights activists.
Amnesty warned that "the space to express critical views in the Russian Federation has been gradually and progressively curtailed in recent years", and that restrictions on freedom of speech were particularly prevalent in the North Caucasus, where journalists may be "abducted and tortured, have their property attacked, receive death threats or be killed in suspicious circumstances."
Two years after journalist Anna Politkovskaya's murder, Amnesty is urging the Kremlin to make sure that justice prevails in the case and to show that there can be no impunity for such crimes against journalists and human rights defenders. Politkovskaya, well-known for writing articles and books that were highly critical of the Kremlin's policies, especially in the Caucasus, was shot dead outside her Moscow apartment on October 7, 2006. It is still unknown who was responsible for her assassination.
The press release also refers to a number of suspicious attacks that have taken place in the last few months, most recently the fatal shooting of journalist Magomed Yevloyev in police custody on August 31. Amnesty also highlights the case of Zurab Tsechoev, an Ingushetian who worked for the MASHR (Peace) organization, who was interrogated and severely beaten in July.
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