Impunity. Mijatovic asks justice for Anna Politkovskaya

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This is the statement on Anna Politkovskaya’s murder anniversary that the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović published on 5 October 2018 reminding the authorities of the Russian Federation that they have the duty to pursue the truth and show to the public that they are taking concrete steps towards that goal.

“On 7 October, we will mark twelve years since Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated in front of the elevator of her apartment building in Moscow. After several arrests, releases and retrials over eight years, five people have been jailed for her murder. However, it has still not been established who ordered the murder.

In July this year, the European Court of Human Rights found that the authorities of the Russian Federation failed to take adequate investigatory steps to find who had commissioned her murder and to explore allegations that officials of the Russian Federal Security Services or representatives of the Chechen administration had been involved in arranging the murder.

The probability of finding the mastermind of the murder wears thinner as time passes, but the authorities of the Russian Federation have the duty to pursue the truth and show to the public that they are taking concrete steps towards that goal.

Anna Politkovskaya paid the ultimate price for her bravery in investigating and reporting on human rights violations. Achieving justice and establishing the truth about her murder must become a top political priority. This is owed first and foremost to her family and the general public, but is also an important obligation to uphold media freedom and safety of journalists.”

Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights