Inability of authorities to protect Russian journalists must be tackled at highest level, says OSCE media freedom representative
VIENNA, 19 February 2009 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, commenting on the acquittal of those accused in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, expressed dismay today at the failure to counter years of violence against investigative journalists in Russia.
"The Politkovskaya verdict tops the long history of inability of Russia's authorities to provide safety to embattled journalists," said Haraszti. "This amounts to a practical impunity for the murder and physical assault of those covering corruption and human rights issues."
On trial were the brothers Jabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, Colonel Lieutenant Pavel Ryaguzov - an acting officer with the Moscow branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) - and former Interior Ministry detective Sergey Hajikurbanov. The jury found all of the accused not guilty. All four were freed in the courtroom.
"So far, no high-profile case of a murdered journalist, including Politkovskaya's, resulted in the accusation of the masterminds. In most cases, not even the perpetrators can be found or punished," said Haraszti.
"There can be no true freedom of the press as long as the brightest journalists across the country fear being killed for doing their job," Haraszti said.
"Official silence about the acute safety crisis of Russia's journalists has to be broken," Haraszti said. "The situation can be improved only if the government addresses the problem forcefully and vocally. This needs to be done at the highest level."
Internationally famous Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot on 7 October 2006 entering her Moscow apartment building.