PEN mourns the death of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya
Sydney PEN would like to pay tribute to Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and express our deepest condolences in this terrible time to her family, friends, colleagues and Russian PEN. Anna was found shot dead in the elevator of her apartment in Moscow on Saturday 7th October 2006.
In response to the shocking murder, Reporters Sans Frontieres has launched a petition demanding the creation of an international commission of inquiry "to put an end to the impunity enjoyed by those who murder journalists in Russia." Twenty-One journalists have been murdered in Russia since Vladimir Putin became President in 2000, according to RSF. None of these murders have been solved. Sign the petition here.
A journalist who covered the war in Chechnya, Politkovskaya had been receiving threats since 1999 after she wrote articles claiming that the Russian armed forces had committed human rights abuses in Chechnya. Despite these threats she continued to write and in 2003 published A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya. She is also a co-contributor to A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya, published in 2003. Her most recent book, Putin's War: Life in A Failing Democracy is to be published in paperback in December this year. Politkovskaya was a guest of the Sydney Writers' Festival in May this year and featured on the Sydney PEN panel, "State of the Word", with Prof George Williams, Hari Kunzru, Camilla Gibb, Hendrik Hertzberg and chaired by Sydney PEN's Katherine Thomson.
In 2002 Politkovskaya was one of the few outsiders allowed into the Moscow theatre in an attempt to negotiate with Chechen rebels the release of hundreds of hostages. In 2004, she fell seriously ill as she attempted to fly to Beslan to cover the hostage crisis there, leading to speculation that she had been deliberately poisoned to stop her from reporting on the crisis.
"Anna Politkovskaya is a courageous writer known for her criticism not only of the Chechen war but also of the totalitarian backlash characterising the latest developments in Russia. Her death raises serious concerns and confirms all the fears," said Jiri Grusa, President of International PEN.
"We protest in the strongest terms the situation in Russia that has allowed this to occur."
A murder investigation is now under way. Vitaly Yaroshevsky, deputy editor of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta for which Politkovskaya worked is certain that her murder is linked to her work, a view shared by Russian human rights observers. The Moscow deputy prosecutor has also told the press of that the possible link between her death and her journalism will be investigated.
Politkovskaya was the winner of numerous international awards for her courage, including the 2004 Olaf Palme Award that was set up by the family of the murdered Swedish prime minister. The prize was given to Politkovskaya to honour her work for the "long battle for human rights in Russia".
"Anna Politkovskaya's integrity and courage inspired writers around the world as she reported on the most difficult situations in Russia," said Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, International Secretary of International PEN. "She was an outspoken advocate for human rights in PEN's and other forums around the globe. International PEN mourns her loss and calls for a relentless investigation to bring to justice those who are responsible for her murder."
A video of Anna Politkovskaya's Sydney Writers Festival session on Putin's Russia (28/5/2006) can be found here.
Click here to read Sydney PEN President Angela Bowne's SC tribute to Anna Politkovskaya, read at the Sydney PEN commemoration of the Day of the Imprisoned Writer on November 12.
Photo Courtesy of Sydney PEN
In response to the shocking murder, Reporters Sans Frontieres has launched a petition demanding the creation of an international commission of inquiry "to put an end to the impunity enjoyed by those who murder journalists in Russia." Twenty-One journalists have been murdered in Russia since Vladimir Putin became President in 2000, according to RSF. None of these murders have been solved. Sign the petition here.
A journalist who covered the war in Chechnya, Politkovskaya had been receiving threats since 1999 after she wrote articles claiming that the Russian armed forces had committed human rights abuses in Chechnya. Despite these threats she continued to write and in 2003 published A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya. She is also a co-contributor to A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya, published in 2003. Her most recent book, Putin's War: Life in A Failing Democracy is to be published in paperback in December this year. Politkovskaya was a guest of the Sydney Writers' Festival in May this year and featured on the Sydney PEN panel, "State of the Word", with Prof George Williams, Hari Kunzru, Camilla Gibb, Hendrik Hertzberg and chaired by Sydney PEN's Katherine Thomson.
In 2002 Politkovskaya was one of the few outsiders allowed into the Moscow theatre in an attempt to negotiate with Chechen rebels the release of hundreds of hostages. In 2004, she fell seriously ill as she attempted to fly to Beslan to cover the hostage crisis there, leading to speculation that she had been deliberately poisoned to stop her from reporting on the crisis.
"Anna Politkovskaya is a courageous writer known for her criticism not only of the Chechen war but also of the totalitarian backlash characterising the latest developments in Russia. Her death raises serious concerns and confirms all the fears," said Jiri Grusa, President of International PEN.
"We protest in the strongest terms the situation in Russia that has allowed this to occur."
A murder investigation is now under way. Vitaly Yaroshevsky, deputy editor of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta for which Politkovskaya worked is certain that her murder is linked to her work, a view shared by Russian human rights observers. The Moscow deputy prosecutor has also told the press of that the possible link between her death and her journalism will be investigated.
Politkovskaya was the winner of numerous international awards for her courage, including the 2004 Olaf Palme Award that was set up by the family of the murdered Swedish prime minister. The prize was given to Politkovskaya to honour her work for the "long battle for human rights in Russia".
"Anna Politkovskaya's integrity and courage inspired writers around the world as she reported on the most difficult situations in Russia," said Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, International Secretary of International PEN. "She was an outspoken advocate for human rights in PEN's and other forums around the globe. International PEN mourns her loss and calls for a relentless investigation to bring to justice those who are responsible for her murder."
A video of Anna Politkovskaya's Sydney Writers Festival session on Putin's Russia (28/5/2006) can be found here.
Click here to read Sydney PEN President Angela Bowne's SC tribute to Anna Politkovskaya, read at the Sydney PEN commemoration of the Day of the Imprisoned Writer on November 12.
Photo Courtesy of Sydney PEN
posted by Sydney PEN at 2:18 pm
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