"We are seriously concerned that those who order or carry out violence against journalists in Russia enjoy almost total impunity from prosecution. It is estimated that 21 journalists have been killed since you came to power in March 2000," the Paris-based WAN and WEF said in a letter to Putin on the one-year anniversary of Ms Politkovskaya’s death.
Ms Politkovskaya, a journalist who investigated war crimes in Chechnya and was openly critical of President Putin, was gunned down outside her Moscow home on 7 October last year. The murder remains unsolved.
The letter to President Putin said:
"On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the death of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, we are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 102 countries, to express our deep concern that her murder remains unsolved.
"As a journalist for Novaya Gazeta newspaper, Mrs Politkovskaya wrote frequent reports on human rights abuses and corruption in Chechnya. On 7 October 2006, she was shot four times and killed in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building in retribution for her reporting.
"Although officials have claimed several breakthroughs in the investigation, we are concerned that those ultimately responsible remain undetected. Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika announced ten arrests in August and filed charges in September against a former official from Chechnya for the murder. However, media leaks, the demotion of the lead investigator and claims of gaping holes in the evidence have undermined hopes of progress. Already two of the 10 people arrested have been released for lack of evidence. Another key suspect - a lieutenant colonel in the Federal Security Service - was also released, before being re-arrested on unrelated charges, and a former police major who was arrested reportedly claims he was in prison at the time of the murder.
"We are seriously concerned that those who order or carry out violence against journalists in Russia enjoy almost total impunity from prosecution. It is estimated that 21 journalists have been killed since you came to power in March 2000.
"We respectfully remind you that, at the 60th World Newspaper Congress in South Africa in June 2007, the WAN Board of Directors called for “an end to the impunity enjoyed by those who order or carry out the execution of journalists in Russia”.
"We respectfully call on you to do everything in your power to ensure that the murder of Mrs Politkovskaya is thoroughly and impartially investigated and that those responsible for carrying it out and ordering it are swiftly brought to justice."
Other recent WAN/WEF press freedom protests can be found here.
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 76 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 10 regional and world-wide press groups.
The WEF is the organisation for editors within the World Association of Newspapers (www.worldeditorsforum.org).
Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr |
