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Topic: Investigative journalist killed in Russia
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EmmaG
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 12605
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posted 07 October 2006 02:45 PM
I noticed this story posted on rabble, right before I read this quote: MOSCOW Oct 7, 2006 (AP)— A Russian journalist known for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya was shot to death Saturday in the elevator of her apartment building in Moscow, in a killing prosecutors believe could be connected to her investigative work. Anna Politkovskaya was a tireless reporter who had written a critical book on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his campaign in Chechnya, documenting widespread abuse of civilians by government troops. Prosecutors have opend a murder investigation into her death, said Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for the Moscow prosecutor's Office. Investigators suspect the killing was connected to the work of the 48-year-old journalist, Vyacheslav Raskinsky, Moscow's first deputy prosecutor said on state-run Rossiya television.
[ 07 October 2006: Message edited by: EmmaG ]
From: nova scotia | Registered: May 2006
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Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560
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posted 12 October 2006 03:39 AM
Who killed Anna Politkovskaya? quote: Politkovskaya had been one of the rare reporters brave and committed enough to cover the war in Chechnya from the Chechen side. Her newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, is considered one of the few independent dailies still in circulation. She was a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin's policies in the rebel province in the Caucasus, accusing him of creating the violent despair that leads to terrorism, for instance, during the bloody hostage-takings at the Dubrovka theatre in Moscow in 2001, and the school in Beslan in 2004. There is some evidence that could help determine why she died. At least two closed-circuit television cameras – one in her apartment building, the other in the supermarket where she was buying bottles of mineral water – caught her likely killer on tape. There are at least four theories on who killed her, and they reveal a lot about Russian society today.
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001
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eau
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 10058
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posted 12 October 2006 04:21 PM
Michelle, I read somewhere along the way that her killer was likely a professional and it was likely that he would be killed himself by the people that hired him. Thus no witnesses. Putin has been succesful at avoiding a spotlight put on what he has done in Chechnya especially in the western media. It is his Iraq. It is as painful reading about Chechnya as it is Iraq. [ 12 October 2006: Message edited by: eau ]
From: BC | Registered: Aug 2005
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N.Beltov
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4140
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posted 15 October 2006 10:08 AM
Moscow News has a few stories about the murder. The following story quotes Putin himself: quote: Anna Arutunyan/MN: Whatever the case, Politkovskaya's death is added to the roster of dozens of journalists killed in Russia (and, contrary to current Western headlines, by far not all of them during Putin's time). The loudest among them - the murders of Vladislav Listyev (1995), Dmitry Kholodov (1994), and Paul Klebnikov (2004) - are still murky, pointing to a trail not so much of a government-sanctioned crackdown on the press, but on debilitating corruption in Russia's law enforcement and siloviki structures (incidentally, Pavlovsky, a pro-Putin analyst, speculated that the Politkovskaya's murder could be linked to siloviki structures). ["siloviki" are ex-security or ex-military people in positions of political power, much like Putin himself - N.Beltov] Probably one of the most sober assessments of the impact of Politkovskaya's murder on the nation's future was given by none other than President Putin. "The influence Politkovskaya had on political life in Russia was very insignificant," he told journalists during a visit to Germany this week. "The murder dealt a more serious blow to the reputation of the government than did her publications."
The Moscow News piece above presents Politkovskaya as more of a newsmaker or activist rather than a journalist. The impression one gets, from this piece anyway, is of someone better known outside her country than in it. MN - Journalist murder a conundrum Gary Kasparov, former world chess champion, has made some public remarks about being worried about his own safety in light of the recent murder of Politkovskaya. There is also a 25 000 000 Ruble reward for info about the murder of Politkovskaya from the magazine that she worked for. I saved the following quote a few days back but I can no longer find the link. quote: Shareholders of Novaya Gazeta announced a reward in the amount of 25 mln rubles ($930, 000 US) for any information that can help the investigation," said Vitaly Yaroshevsky, deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper. He said the editor's office received the offer by e-mail earlier today from Alexander Lebedyev, a member of parliament who is among the newspaper shareholders together with former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev."
Anna Politkovskaya Here is a link for Politkovskaya's newspaper and the offer of a reward. If you Google the name of the newspaper you can find an online translation of it (not very good). I've had to delete a link as it is causing sidescroll and I've forgotten how to use tiny url. Sorry! Official site of Novaya Gazeta (Russian) [ 15 October 2006: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]
From: Vancouver Island | Registered: May 2003
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BetterRed
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 11865
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posted 15 October 2006 11:25 AM
Any conspiracy theories? Yup, there are a few. Its kinda idiotic to implicate Putin - I already listed tht he does not control the whole country,nor its elites. And birthday present murder of a famous journalist? Give me a break. I dont deny - its possible, yet Putin and his security advisors are just not THAT stupid. I noticed that Putin was nearly forced to grovel under a barrage of media and promise that the killers will be found. So, two men who could benefit: Chechen PM Kadyrov and exiled oligarch Berezovsky, a mortal enemy of Putin. I already linked on this thread. quote: http://www.rabble.ca/babble/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=13&t=002227&p=
ETA: Spelling, and also that the Russian papers already point to Chechen trail. Clue: gun, found in the elevator. [ 15 October 2006: Message edited by: BetterRed ]
From: They change the course of history, everyday ppl like you and me | Registered: Jan 2006
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jeff house
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 518
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posted 15 October 2006 04:13 PM
But, if you read the above, you will see that Better Red said: quote: Its kinda idiotic to implicate Putin
So, it seems that some people want to close off the Putin possibility, right from the start. As it happens, Politkovskaya herself did not dismiss out of hand the idea that Putin might try to kill her. So dismissing her agent's warning as a foreign point of view is quite disingenuous. In the linked articles, above, Putin claims that it would make no sense to kill her because her articles had little impact inside Russia. The pictures of her funeral show otherwise. But even so, what if her articles only had an impact in other world capitals, showing the monstrous nature of the Chechen war? Putin would be happy with that, I guess.
From: toronto | Registered: May 2001
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N.Beltov
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4140
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posted 15 October 2006 04:49 PM
Siloviki corruption, rather than straight out complicity by the Putin regime, seems pretty plausible to me. Politkovskaya made a lot of enemies by virtue of her work. Even in Canada investigative journalists have to be very careful. I know one of them - and he always puts his own name in the background of anything he's involved with (outside of his investigative journalism job) so as not to get any publicity whatsoever. If such precautions are taken in Canada - what about Russia? Mind you, no place that I can think of is as dangerous for journalists, of all types, as present-day Iraq. The US authorities trying to kill the Italian journalist is well known. I'm not familliar with all the ins and outs of the Russian legal system of today. I get the impression that, like many other countries, corruption is a real problem. You get what you pay for, as it were. Well, hopefully, with the million dollar reward, the perpetrators will be apprended and prosecuted. It seems that the restoration of capitalism in Russia for 15 years hasn't done much for their civil society, has it?
From: Vancouver Island | Registered: May 2003
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otter
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 12062
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posted 16 October 2006 08:55 AM
quote: There are at least four theories on who killed her, and they reveal a lot about Russian society today.
quote: It seems that the restoration of capitalism in Russia for 15 years hasn't done much for their civil society, has it?
There's that good old human arrogance pointing its righteous finger again. This is simply the way thugs all over the world operate and Russian killers are no different than Canadian, or any other nationality of killers in that regard.
From: agent provocateur inc. | Registered: Feb 2006
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siren
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 7470
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posted 16 October 2006 08:51 PM
Seems to be part of a spate of killings: quote: Russian News Agency Itar-Tass Executive Killed in Moscow By Sebastian Alison Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The business chief of Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Anatoly Voronin, was killed last night in his apartment in central Moscow, the agency reported. Death was the result of multiple knife wounds, according to police, Itar-Tass reported. Several theories are being investigated, the agency said. The body of 55-year-old Voronin was found at his home by his driver, the news agency said. He had worked at the agency for 23 years. His death is the latest in a spate of high-profile killings in Russia in little over a month. ..................
From: Of course we could have world peace! But where would be the profit in that? | Registered: Nov 2004
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unionist
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 11323
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posted 18 June 2008 08:18 PM
quote: Originally posted by jeff house:
Finding the killer is a test for Russia. Failure will suggest complicity.
Politkovskaya murder charges laid quote: Three men have been charged over the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, investigators have said. ...Russia's Investigative Committee said a fourth man, an officer with the country's security service, had also been charged with abuse of office. Last month officials also named the man suspected of firing the gun as Rustam Makhmudov. He remains at large. The three men charged over the murder, who all come from Chechnya, are Sergey Khadzhikurbanov, and Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov.
From: Vote QS! | Registered: Dec 2005
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Fidel
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5594
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posted 18 June 2008 08:45 PM
quote: Originally posted by jeff house:
Finding the killer is a test for Russia. Failure will suggest complicity.
I guess they failed a similar test with flying colours in the USSA when three Bush family biographers suicided themselves. What do you think the odds were, Jeff? Then there was UN weapons specialist David Kelly, 1.5 million Iraqis from Crazy George I through Crazy George II, thousands of U.S. soldiers sent home in plastic bags, a few hundred thousand Afghans, Serbs, and a bit of "peripheral" damage by those multi-billion dollar "smart bombs" ... etcetera. Democracy-shamocracy, isn't that right, comrade comissar? [ 18 June 2008: Message edited by: Fidel ]
From: Viva La Revolución | Registered: Apr 2004
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jeff house
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 518
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posted 19 June 2008 09:37 AM
If it were a competition, we'd have to include things like the attempted poisoning of the present Premier of the Ukraine.But it isn't a competition, and even though Iraq is an ongoing atrocity, it is important to remain vigilant elsewhere. During the time of the Gulag, Soviet defenders always would say: "What about the negroes in the South", because they didn't want any attention on what they were doing. Let's not make that same mistake with Putin.
From: toronto | Registered: May 2001
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Fidel
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5594
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posted 19 June 2008 10:24 AM
quote: Originally posted by jeff house:
Let's not make that same mistake with Putin.
I should add that the Nazis also pointed out the same Jim Crow hypocrisy to American POW's expressing concern about human rights violations at that time. American POW camps in Germany were segregated as were training facilities for American allies in war time England. eta: South Africa's townships were said to be modelled after segregationist policies in America's deep south. If perestroika had delivered any discernable benefits to Russians in the decade of the 90's, then perhaps there would have been no Putin to clamp down on attempts by outside forces to corrupt Duma politicians in 2003 and complete NeoLiberal enclosure of Russia's natural resource wealth. Shock and awe over Baghdad was not just for Saddam's benefit or Haliburton's or Raytheon. The swiftness of the takeover of Iraq scared the shit out of Russia's military leaders then. Iraq is said to be the reason why Russia began re-arming with nukes and a return to cold war manoeuvering today. The new Liberal capitalism wasn't very Liberal at all, Jeff. Cause and effect. "Extreme ways are back again" - Moby "...Oh baby, then it fell apart, fell apart" [ 19 June 2008: Message edited by: Fidel ]
From: Viva La Revolución | Registered: Apr 2004
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