Russia
Politkovskaya murder still unsolvedPosted Oct 25 2008
More than two years after the killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, police say they still have not identified the gunman or the person who ordered the contract-style killing.
The Moscow Times reported that preliminary hearings in the case would begin Oct. 15. Three men have been charged with involvement in the murder – Chechen brothers Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov and Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, a former police official in Moscow’s organized crimes unit. A fourth, former FSB secret service officer Pavel Ryaguzov, is being tried because of his connections to Khadzhikurbanov.
Her former boss Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta newspaper, told the Interfax news agency in June that he was frustrated by the slow progress of the investigation.
“I am sick and tired of claims that the case is solved and will go to court,” he said. “The case can’t be solved when the person who ordered [the murder] isn’t identified, and the killer isn’t caught.”
Hundreds of people gathered in central Moscow on Oct. 7, the anniversary of Politkovskaya’s death, in remembrance of the slain journalist. She became well known for reporting on human-rights violations in Chechnya and public opposition to then-President Vladimir Putin.