Anna Politkovskaya: In the Russian media

07 Oct 10 | Uncategorized

Most Russian newspapers, liberal and conservative, covered the anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s murder today. Nezavisimaya Gazeta, a liberal independent newspaper, Rossiskaya Gazeta, the government’s mouthpiece, and the liberal Moscow News, along with other left and right-wing papers, gave the story the same amount of coverage and reflected similar viewpoints.

Only Kommersant, a liberal newspaper, and Politkovskaya’s own Novaya Gazeta stood out from the rest. Kommersant gave more column inches to the anniversary and published the sceptical comment of the senior editor of Novaya Gazeta, Sergei Sokolov: “I do not think that the investigators have found out anything new, and even if they did, it is in their interests to keep quiet.”

Sokolov’s cynicism contrasts with the reporting in the rest of the press. The investigation into Politkovskaya’s murder has now been extended to next February. While police agents in the rest of the media are reported to have made progress and found new evidence, Sokolov is one of the few critical voices. “The ones who we think have something to do with the case have been investigated already, years ago, before the release of the murder suspects.”

Russia: Circle of Politkovskaya murder suspects widens

07 Oct 10 | Index Index, minipost

Detectives with the federal Investigative Committee say they are examining an expanded circle of suspects in the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

The new suspects are said to be ethnic Chechens who wanted to get on the good side of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov. There is no evidence directly linking Kadyrov to the case. The original defendants are still considered as suspects.

Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin told CPJ on 28 September that his agency was mistaken in “rushing” a previous case to trial.

Russia: guarantee to pursue journalist murder cases

30 Sep 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features

Top Russian investigators say they guarantee to pursue 19 cases of murdered journalists presented to them by a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The CPJ delegation led by CPJ Chairman Paul Steiger and board member Kati Marton met with the Chairman of the Investigative Committee Bastrykin and other investigators examining the cases.

CPJ representatives met with the Investigative Committee in September 2009 to discuss unsolved cases concerning Russian journalists. This year they returned for an update.

The investigator told CPJ delegation that Alkhazur Bashayev, alleged murderer of journalist Natalya Estemirova is alive. Authorities are trying to locate his whereabouts in Russia. Bastrykin also said he will find and arrest the suspected murderer of Anna Politkovskaya, who has fled in Europe.