press releases & Protests

October 10, 2006

Fax letter to: +7 495 206 5137 / 206 6277

His Excellency Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
The Kremlin
Moscow, Russia

Your Excellency:

We are amazed and outraged at the brazen murder in Moscow this weekend of the celebrated Russian investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya. This killing raises dramatically the issues of the future of press freedom and of the impunity of the assassins of journalists in your country.

Given that Ms. Politkovskaya was widely celebrated as an uncompromising critic of the Russian army’s conduct of the war in Chechnya, this is an opportunity to demonstrate that the system of justice is evenhanded and that the defense of freedom of expression and of the right to criticize public policy and its execution are not empty words.

With all due respect and in the interests of justice and of the image and reputation of Russia, we call upon you to see to it that you insure that the criminal investigative authorities conduct as complete an inquiry as possible so as to bring those responsible to book, regardless of who they may be.

Russia’s reputation as a country of law where justice is both done and seen to be done hinges on the action of the state authorities in this case.

Respectfully,

Richard N. Winfield
Chairman

E. Markham Bench
Executive Director