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Opinion

J-W Editorials

October 19, 2009

Anna Politkovskaya, a noted journalistic critic of governmental individuals and affairs, was assassinated three years ago in Russia. Hundreds gathered in Moscow recently to honor her and to call again for the discovery and punishment of her killer.

Those familiar with the case say that little has been done to find those responsible and that the government with President Vladimir Putin then in charge may have factored heavily in the case.

Politkovskaya was internationally known as a harsh critic of the Kremlin and had exposed widespread human-rights abuses and corruption in Chechnya. She was slain in a contract-style killing on Oct. 7, 2006. The suspected gunman reportedly is hiding abroad while the government says three men accused of playing minor roles in the death are being investigated.

“The authorities are incapable of solving such crimes,” says Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister and now a leader of the opposition. “Even the most honest investigator cannot solve the crime because the government won’t let him.”

Since Politkovskaya’s death, at least seven journalists and human rights activists have been killed in Russia, including one journalist from her same newspaper. Earlier, dozens of journalists had been done away with under the Putin rule and no investigations have yielded any criminals.

Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin puppet, succeeded Putin 18 months ago, and the investigative inactivity has continued. He took office promising a “rule of law.” Citizens are still waiting for that to prevail.

Dozens of slayings of government critics have continued, and no arrests or convictions have occurred. Meanwhile, there seems to be a strong drift of the Russian government back to greater control with a Putin return to power.

His associates during his days of brutal operation of Russian spy agencies may be proud, but there is little evidence that Putin or Medvedev have helped the cause of freedom and nonviolent exchange of ideas in their country.

The role of the government in the assassinations will never be fully revealed.