At a glance-
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Russia at the UPR: Repeal oppressive laws restricting the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association
8 September 2009
Alert
Supreme Court orders further investigation into Politkovskaya murder
IPI welcomes decision, hopes all those responsible will be brought to justice
(IPI/IFEX) - VIENNA, 3 September 2009 - Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday granted a request by family members of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya to send the case back for further investigation, rather than immediately retry three individuals acquitted of the killing earlier this year.
Politkovskaya, a special correspondent at Russia's fiercely independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was gunned down in her apartment block in October 2006. Colleagues said she had been working on a story regarding the use of torture in Chechnya at the time of her death, and that she had been receiving threats.
On 19 February 2009, following a high-profile investigation and court case, a Moscow jury found police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and Chechen brothers Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov not guilty of helping to plan and execute the assassination of Kremlin-critic Politkovskaya.
The court also found a fourth man, former Russian spy Pavel Ryaguzov, not guilty in a separate but related case in which he was accused of both abusing his position and extortion. Ryaguzov allegedly gave Politkovskaya's murderers her home address.
Russia's Supreme Court overturned the acquittals in June of this year, citing irregularities in the original proceedings.
Despite calls to reopen the case from the prosecutors and from members of Politkovskaya's family, a Moscow military court decided on 7 August that Khadzhikurbanov, the Makhmudov brothers and Ryaguzov should all be retried on the original evidence.
At the time, IPI expressed concern at the Russian authorities' apparent lack of resolve to thoroughly investigate the murder and called for a re-investigation.
"We are pleased to see that the Russian courts have decided to re-investigate the case," said IPI Director David Dadge. "A climate of impunity in Russia allows those who want to silence criticism to do so in the most vicious manner possible – through murder. The decision to re-investigate this case is a step towards addressing the still very real concerns about Russia's commitment to press freedom and hopefully it will send a signal to other would-be murderers of journalists that the Russian state is no longer prepared to allow these murders to go unpunished."
IPI posthumously awarded Politkovskaya its 'World Press Freedom Hero Award' in 2006, while Novaya Gazeta - which has lost four journalists since the year 2000 – received IPI's 'Free Media Pioneer Award' at the organization's 2009 Annual IPI World Congress in Helsinki.
Source:
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Case History
Guilty verdict but truth elusive in Politkovskaya case 17 December 2012 Anna Politkovskaya: What's happened since the Russian journalist's murder? 22 November 2012 Justice long overdue in Politkovskaya murder case in Russia 10 October 2012 Former police colonel indicted in Politkovskaya murder 18 July 2012 Five years on, writers continue to call for justice for Anna Politkovskaya 11 October 2011 Retired police official charged in Politkovskaya murder 7 September 2011 New suspect detained in Anna Politkovskaya's slaying 25 August 2011 Politkovskaya retrial to go ahead, as court denies family and prosecution request for fresh investigation 11 August 2009 Supreme Court orders retrial in Politkovskaya murder 29 June 2009 Three suspects acquitted in murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya 20 February 2009 Six months after "Novaya Gazeta" reporter Anna Politkovskaya's murder, RSF awaits findings of investigation 9 April 2007 Interim Chechen president's claims that Berezovsky behind Politkovskaya and Litvinenko murders undermine search for truth, says RSF 2 March 2007 Chechnya police possibly behind murder of journalist Politkovskaya, over article on state-sponsored torture 24 January 2007 President Putin condemns Politkovskaya murder but questions her credibility; CPJ calls on him to take responsibility for investigation 10 October 2006 Writer and journalist Anna Politkovskaya, long threatened over critical reporting on Chechnya conflict, shot to death 10 October 2006
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