07. 10. 2007

SLAIN RUSSIAN JOURNALIST REMEMBERED

MOSCOW, 7 October 2007 (BBC) - Relatives, friends and campaigners are marking the first anniversary of the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

A fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, she was shot dead in her Moscow apartment block last October.

The killing drew international condemnation, including allegations that Putin was failing to safeguard freedom of speech.
 
One year later, despite calls for justice, the case remains unsolved.

While Politkovskaya's family are to mourn by her grave, campaigners are planning events in Moscow and cities around the world, including New York, Paris and Rome.

They hope to pressure Putin's government to continue the investigation.

On Saturday, over 60 celebrities and dignitaries signed an open letter in Britain's Times newspaper calling on Russia to bring Politkovskaya's killers to justice and urging international leaders to protect journalists working in conflict areas.

Politkovskaya, a reporter for the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, won fame by exposing atrocities against Chechen civilians by Russian-backed security forces.

After her contract-style killing, there were demands for those responsible to be brought to justice as quickly as possible.

But it was 10 months before any arrests were made, even though there was Closed Circuit TV footage of the man alleged to be her killer.

Amongst those detained were members of the security forces including the domestic intelligence agency, the FSB.

Two have already been released and the top investigator on the case has been replaced.

In the year since Politkovskaya's death at least two more Russian journalists have died in suspicious circumstances and another was shot and injured, says the BBC's Moscow correspondent Richard Galpin.

The Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders says 18 journalists have been killed in connection with their work in Russia since Mr Putin became president in March 2000.