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Contact: Amanda Abrams, 202-747-7035

Rights Groups Urge Fuller Investigation of Politkovskaya’s Murder

October 4, 2007 -- Freedom House and four other human rights organizations sent letters today to Yuri Chaika, Russia’s Prosecutor General, and Aleksandr Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee, calling on them to more fully investigate journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s murder and bring perpetrators to justice.

Ms. Politkovskaya was murdered a year ago, but the investigation is unfinished and no killer has been found. Public allegations asserting suspected parties’ guilt without corroborating evidence from the prosecutor’s office have served to confuse and retard an already slow process.

“One year after Politkovskaya’s death, we believe that there needs to be renewed focus and attention not only to find those who enacted the killing but also to bring those who ordered the killing to justice,” wrote the groups in the letter. “We call upon you to ensure that justice and the rule of law prevail in Russia by bringing all perpetrators to justice in a timely, professional and transparent manner.”

The letter was signed by representatives of Amnesty International USA, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights First, International League for Human Rights, Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, Reporters without Borders, and World Press Freedom Committee, as well as Freedom House.

The letters are attached and below.

October 4, 2007

The Honorable Yuri Chaika
Prosecutor General
Moscow, The Russian Federation

Dear Mr. Prosecutor General:

Representing the leading human rights organizations long concerned with the rule of law and freedom of speech in Russia, we write on the first anniversary of journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s murder to call upon the Prosecutor General to more fully investigate this crime and bring all perpetrators involved to justice.

To date, the investigation of Politkovskaya’s murder has been inadequate. Public allegations asserting guilt without corroborating evidence from the prosecutor’s office have served to unnecessarily confuse and retard an already slow process. While there were encouraging developments in the case under investigator Pyotr Garibyan’s supervision, since his reassignment last month progress has been uneven.

One year after Politkovskaya’s death, we believe that there needs to be renewed focus and attention to not only find those who enacted the killing but also to bring those who ordered the killing to justice.

Freedom of speech and safety of journalists are under serious threat and Russia is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. In addition to Politkovskaya’s murder, several cases of murdered journalists remain unsolved. According to reliable reports, at least fourteen journalists have been murdered since the beginning of President Putin’s tenure in office and convictions have been obtained in only one case thus far. Thorough and serious investigations in all of these cases are long overdue.

The Russian government should devote more of its considerable resources to fully investigating crimes against journalists. For this reason we call upon you as Prosecutor General to ensure that justice and the rule of law prevail in Russia by bringing all perpetrators to justice in a timely, professional and transparent manner.

Sincerely,

Robert Arsenault
President, International League for Human Rights

E. Markham Bench
Executive Director, World Press Freedom Committee

Maureen Byrnes
Executive Director, Human Rights First

Larry Cox
Executive Director, Amnesty International USA

E. Robert Goodkind
Chair, Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights

Robert Menard
Secretary General, Reporters without Borders

Nina Ognianova
Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists

Jennifer Windsor
Executive Director, Freedom House

***

October 4, 2007

The Honorable Aleksandr Bastrykin
Chairman of the Investigative Committee
Moscow, The Russian Federation

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Representing the leading human rights organizations long concerned with the rule of law and freedom of speech in Russia, we write on the first anniversary of journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s murder to call upon the Investigative Committee to more fully investigate this crime and bring all perpetrators involved to justice.

The Russian government should devote more of its considerable resources to fully investigating crimes against journalists. For this reason we call upon you as the Chairman of the Investigative Committee to ensure that justice and the rule of law prevail in Russia by bringing all perpetrators to justice in a timely, professional and transparent manner.