"Anna Politkovskaya Award The Anna Politkovskaya Award was established in 2006 to remember and honor the Russian campaigning journalist Anna Politkovskaya (1958–2006), murdered in Moscow on 7 October 2006 in order to silence her reporting about the war in Chechnya. The award is presented annually by the international human rights organisation, RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in War) and honours women human rights defenders from around the world, who work in war and conflict zones, often at great personal risk. Mariana Katzarova, a friend and a human rights colleague of Politkovskaya, founded RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in"
"Putin threatened her and like-minded colleagues in person. According to Berezovsky, Putin uttered that Hakamada and her colleagues ""will take in the head immediately, literally, not figuratively"" if they ""open the mouth"" about the Russian apartment bombings. On 7 October 2006, Politkovskaya was found shot dead in the elevator of her apartment block in central Moscow. Police found a Makarov pistol and four shell casings beside her body. Reports indicated a contract killing, as she was shot four times, once in the head. The assassination occurred on Vladimir Putin's birthday, a detail that did not go unnoticed. The funeral was"
"""Novaya Gazeta""s chief editor Dmitry Muratov, Politkovskaya had planned to file a lengthy story on the torture practices believed to be used by the Chechen security detachments known as Kadyrovites. In her final interview, she described Kadyrov—now president of Chechnya—as the ""Chechen Stalin of our days"". Politkovskaya was found dead in the lift, in her block of flats in central Moscow on 7 October 2006. She had been shot twice in the chest, once in the shoulder, and once in the head at point-blank range. The assassination had happened on Vladimir Putin's birthday, and two days after Ramzan Kadyrov's 30th"
"held on Tuesday, 10 October 2006, at 2:30 p.m. at the Troyekurovsky Cemetery. Before Politkovskaya was buried, more than 1,000 people filed past her coffin. Dozens of Politkovskaya's colleagues, public figures and admirers of her work gathered for the funeral. No high-ranking Russian officials were seen at the ceremony. The European Union and many governments condemned the murder of Politkovskaya, calling for a thorough investigation into the crime by Russian authorities. Soon after her death, Vitaly Yaroshevsky, deputy editor of ""Novaya Gazeta,"" where she worked, said: ""The first thing that comes to mind is that Anna was killed for her"
"her and like-minded colleagues in person. According to Berezovsky Putin had issued threats that Khakamada and her colleagues ""will take in the head immediately, literally, not figuratively"" if they ""open the mouth"" about the Russian apartment bombings. Former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko said he had learned from Anna Politkovskaya that Putin asked Khakamada to pass a threat to Politkovskaya. Khakamada denied her involvement in passing any specific threats, and said that she warned Politkovskaya only in general terms more than a year earlier, and that Politkovskaya blamed her and Mikhail Kasyanov for becoming Kremlin's puppets. Politkovskaya and Litvinenko were murdered"
"reporter for the Minsk bureau of ""Novaya Gazeta"" (""New Gazette""), a newspaper based in Moscow. The paper is famous for being the very last independent newspaper in Russia. There are no independent newspapers in Belarus, making it one of the few outlets for independent Belarusian journalists. The paper is known for being outspoken about the corruption of governments in the former Soviet Republics, and its journalists have faced brutal intimidation and persecution. Anna Politkovskaya, one of their well-known reporters and a winner of the 2002 Courage in Journalism Award, was shot to death outside her flat in 2006. Three years"
"were convicted of murdering Politkovskaya, including three defendants who had been acquitted in a previous trial. The defendants were three Chechen brothers, one of whom was accused of shooting Politkovskaya in the lobby of her Moscow apartment building. In June 2014 the men were sentenced to prison, two of them, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev and his nephew Rustam Makhmudov, receiving life sentences. It is still unclear who ordered or paid for the contract killing. In September 2016 Vladimir Markin, official spokesman for the Investigative Committee, included the killing of Anna Politkovskaya among the ""Most Dramatic Crimes in 21st century Russia"" and claimed"
"birthday celebrations, raising suspicions that one or both were served up by the contract hit. There was widespread international reaction to the assassination. The funeral was held on 10 October 2006 at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in the outskirts of Moscow. Before Politkovskaya was buried, more than one thousand mourners filed past her coffin to pay their last respects. Dozens of Politkovskaya's colleagues, public figures, and admirers of her work gathered at the cemetery. No high-ranking Russian officials could be seen at the ceremony. Politkovskaya was buried near her father, who had died shortly before her. In May 2007, a large"
"the charges were again dismissed in 2000. He fled with his family to London and was granted asylum in the United Kingdom, where he worked as a journalist, writer and consultant for the British intelligence services. During his time in London, Litvinenko wrote two books, """" and ""Lubyanka Criminal Group"", wherein he accused the Russian secret services of staging the Russian apartment bombings and other terrorism acts in an effort to bring Vladimir Putin to power. He also accused Putin of ordering the murder in October 2006 of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. On 1 November 2006, Litvinenko suddenly fell"
"Scaramella, to whom he made the allegations regarding Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Scaramella, attached to the Mitrokhin Commission investigating KGB penetration of Italian politics, claimed to have information on the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, 48, a journalist who was killed at her Moscow apartment building in October 2006. Marina Litvinenko, his widow, accused Moscow of orchestrating the murder. Though she believes the order did not come from Putin himself, she does believe it was done at the behest of the authorities, and announced that she will refuse to provide evidence to any Russian investigation out of fear that it"
"zones of Bosnia, Kosovo and the North Caucasus, including 10 years as the Russia Researcher for Amnesty International. The award was first given on the one-year anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya's murder on 7 October 2007 to Politkovskaya's friend and colleague, Chechen activist, Natalia Estemirova, who was herself abducted and killed in 2009 in Chechnya to silence her human rights work. There is also a ""Journalism prize Anna Politkovskaja"" (“il premio giornalistico Anna Politkovskaja”), which is annually awarded in Ferrara, Italy, by the magazine L’internationale and the comune of Ferrara. Anna Politkovskaya Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya (; ; born Mazepa ; 30"
"of flats, an assassination that attracted international attention. In June 2014, five men were sentenced to prison for the murder, but it is still unclear who ordered or paid for the contract killing. Politkovskaya was born Anna Mazepa in New York City in 1958, the daughter of Stepan F. Mazepa from Kostobobriv (Kostobobrov), Ukraine. Some sources say that her birth name was actually Hanna Mazeppa. Other sources state that she was born in Chernihiv (Chernigov) region of Ukraine. Her parents, Soviet diplomats at the United Nations, were Ukrainian. Politkovskaya spent most of her childhood in Moscow; she graduated from Moscow"
"the first public results of the investigation into the double shooting suggested that the murders had no immediate connection to the Politkovskaya assassination. More closely related to Politkovskaya's work as a journalist was the 15 July 2009 murder of Natalia Estemirova. A board member of the Memorial human rights society and one of Politkovskaya's key informants, guides, and colleagues in Chechnya, Estemirova was abducted in Grozny and found dead, several hours later, in the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia. On 5 August 2009, the prosecution service's objection to the acquittals in the Politkovskaya trial was upheld by the Supreme Court, and"
"Komarova, is a television host/anchor. Yevgenia Albats graduated from the Department of Journalism of Moscow State University in 1980. One of her classmates and friends was Anna Politkovskaya, who would become an investigative journalist and was assassinated in 2006. Albats started her professional work as a free-lance reporter with Komsomolskaya Pravda, while she was still a senior at the Moscow State University's Department of Journalism. After graduation, she succeeded in getting a job as a low-paid assistant at the so-called ""letters"" desk ( the desk that was obliged to answer letters, which were coming from readers of the paper) at"
"not named in those notes), was behind her death. On 5 December 2008, Sergei Sokolov, a senior editor of ""Novaya Gazeta"", testified in court that he had received information (from sources he would not name) that defendant Dzhabrail Makhmudov was an agent of the FSB. He said Makhmudov's uncle Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who was serving a 12-year jail sentence for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian businessman, also worked for the FSB. Russia's Investigative Committee—with help from the Belgian police—arrested Rustam Makhmudov, the man suspected of killing Anna Politkovskaya, after he was detained in the Chechen Republic and transported to Moscow"
"attacks on offices. In 2005, the list of all cases included 7 deaths, 63 assaults, 12 attacks on editorial offices, 23 incidents of censorship, 42 criminal prosecutions, 11 illegal layoffs, 47 cases of detention by militsiya, 382 lawsuits, 233 cases of obstruction, 23 closings of editorial offices, 10 evictions, 28 confiscations of printed production, 23 cases of stopping broadcasting, 38 refusals to distribute or print production, 25 acts of intimidation, and 344 other violations of Russian journalist's rights. Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, famous for her criticisms of Russia's actions in Chechnya, and the pro-Kremlin Chechya government, was assassinated in Moscow."
"2004 Beslan school hostage crisis, and had to turn back, requiring careful medical treatment in Moscow to restore her health. Her post-1999 articles about conditions in Chechnya were turned into books several times; Russian readers' main access to her investigations and publications was through ""Novaya Gazeta"", a Russian newspaper known for its often-critical investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs. From 2000 onwards, she received numerous international awards for her work. In 2004, she published ""Putin's Russia"", a personal account of Russia for a Western readership. On 7 October 2006, she was murdered in the elevator of her block"
"received two letters containing threats to her life, apparently written by Lapin. The Office of the Procurator of the city of Nizhnevartovsk in Khanty-Mansyski region opened a criminal investigation in October 2001 into Lapin’s involvement in threatening the safety of Politkovskaya and the investigation had been reportedly closed and renewed at least nine times. On October 7, 2006 Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead in Moscow, bringing suspicions upon Lapin and his colleagues. In January 2002, Sergei Lapin was arrested and charged in connection with the allegations of torture of Zelimkhan Murdalov in detention. Lapin was released pending trial in May"
"investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, both of whom were also murdered, in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Estemirova was abducted on 15 July 2009 from her home in Grozny, Chechnya. According to Tanya Lokshina of the Moscow bureau of Human Rights Watch, unknown individuals abducted Estemirova near her house in Grozny at around 8:30 a.m. Her colleagues raised an alert when she did not come to a planned meeting and went to her home, found witnesses and questioned them. Two witnesses reportedly saw Estemirova being pushed into a car shouting that she was being abducted. Lokshina"
"alleged killer was somehow tipped off and was able to flee the country. And it has never emerged why Anna Politkovskaya had been under surveillance by the FSB for at least two months before her murder. Very quickly the investigation ground to a halt. As soon as it became clear that the FSB was involved, a veil of secrecy descended."" On 25 June 2009, the Supreme Court overturned the not guilty verdicts and ordered a retrial for three men on charges related to her murder. In December 2012 former police officer Dmitry Pavliutchenkov was found guilty and sentenced to 11"
"professional activities. We don't see any other motive for this terrible crime."" He said Politkovskaya gave an interview to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty the week before her death in which she said she was a witness in a criminal case against Ramzan Kadyrov in connection with abductions in Chechnya—a case based on her reporting. In that same interview, she called Kadyrov the ""Stalin of our days"". On 8 October 2006, hundreds rallied in downtown Moscow to protest the murder of Politkovskaya and the recent crackdown on ethnic Georgians. The demonstration was described by the Moscow-based, liberal radio station Echo of"
"poisoned in November 2006) and former chief of security for the Russian TV channel ORT. Kovtun is now a businessman. Litvinenko had also had lunch at Itsu, a sushi restaurant on Piccadilly in London, with an Italian officer and ""nuclear expert"", Mario Scaramella, to whom he reportedly made allegations regarding Romano Prodi's connections with the KGB. Scaramella, attached to the Mitrokhin Commission investigating KGB penetration of Italian politics, claimed to have information on the death of Anna Politkovskaya, 48, a journalist who was killed at her Moscow apartment in October 2006. He passed Litvinenko papers supposedly concerning her fate. On"
"were at risk, due to the many groups disagreeing with the issues they were reporting. Anna Politkovskaya was one of these journalists that was murdered in 2006. She attacked the Russian government and Vladimir Putin of not protecting or thoroughly investigating the murders of 562 journalists. A vast majority of these murders, Slabynko and Politkovskaya's included, have gone cold, unsolved for the past 23 years. Oleg Slabynko's murder called light to the contract murders of Russian journalists. Many prominent business owners and public figures were murdered in 1996 alone. Slabynko's death rose awareness of the eminent danger that public figures"
"Anatoly Pozdnyakov Anatoly Pozdnyakov (died 17 September 2001) was a Russian general, alternatively identified as a Lieutenant General and Major General, and aide to Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin. Pozdnyakov was killed on 17 September 2001 when a surface-to-air-missile downed his Mil Mi-8 helicopter in Chechnya (""see 2001 Grozny Mi-8 crash""). Official reports concluded that the attack on the helicopter was orchestrated by members of a Chechen terrorist group specialized in targeting high-ranking Russian military personnel. Journalist Anna Politkovskaya, however, claimed that Pozdnyakov was assassinated by members of the Russian military. Pozdnyakov headed a General Staff ""inspection team"""
"and, according to Politkovskaya, communicated to her in an interview shortly before his death that he had been tasked by President Vladimir Putin to investigate and report on ""military crimes"". In ""A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya"", Politkovskaya wrote: Anatoly Pozdnyakov Anatoly Pozdnyakov (died 17 September 2001) was a Russian general, alternatively identified as a Lieutenant General and Major General, and aide to Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin. Pozdnyakov was killed on 17 September 2001 when a surface-to-air-missile downed his Mil Mi-8 helicopter in Chechnya (""see 2001 Grozny Mi-8 crash""). Official reports concluded that the attack"
"against a few suspects in Moscow yesterday, Andrew McIntosh, Chairman of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Sub-Committee on the Media and Rapporteur on media freedom, expressed his deep frustration at the lack of progress in investigating the murder of Anna Politkovskaya on 7 October 2006 and the inability of the Russian authorities to find her killers: ""Two years ago, in its Resolution 1535 (2007), the Assembly called on the Russian Parliament to closely monitor the progress in the criminal investigations regarding the murder of Anna Politkovskaya and hold the authorities accountable for any failures to investigate or prosecute. The"
"who have recourse to violence that it has never solved problems but only makes them worse. I call on Russian and international public opinion to defend journalists working for independent and pluralistic media, for the sustainable development of free societies."" Nadezhda Chaikova Nadezhda Chaikova () (1963–1996) was a correspondent for the Russian weekly ""Obshchaya Gazeta"". A colleague of Anna Politkovskaya, she had traveled frequently to Chechnya and neighbouring regions. Near the end of the war in 1996 she was kidnapped and killed by unidentified gunmen. Historian-orientalist by education, Chaikova graduated from the historical faculty of Moscow State University. Before coming"
"excuses for these flawed investigations into murders of politically critical journalists writing against corruption and crime within government, such as the murders of Georgy Gongadze in Ukraine in 2000 and Paul Klebnikov in Moscow in 2004. Before the trial ended, Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer who had investigated many of the abuses documented by Politkovskaya, was assassinated in Moscow on 19 January 2009. Journalist Anastasia Baburova, who was with Markelov at the time, died later of injuries sustained while trying to intervene. Baburova was a freelance contributor to ""Novaya Gazeta"", and Markelov represented the newspaper on many occasions. In November 2009,"
"a president of the Russian Rule of Law Institute. He represented Anna Politkovskaya, who was gunned down in Moscow in 2006; Mikhail Beketov, the editor of a pro-opposition newspaper who was severely beaten in November 2008; and many Chechen civilians who had been tortured. He also defended people who were victims of the Moscow theater hostage crisis. Markelov was shot to death on 19 January 2009 while leaving a news conference in Moscow less than half a mile from the Kremlin; he was 34. Anastasia Baburova, a journalist for ""Novaya Gazeta"" who tried to come to Markelov's assistance, was also"
"Politkovskaya's books have been published in Finland as translated editions. On 10 October 2006, 2,000 demonstrators called Putin a ""murderer"" during his visit to Dresden, Germany. Putin replied: Politkovskaya's assassination was discussed by the media in connection with the deaths of other critics of Putin, including her colleague from ""Novaya Gazeta"" Yuri Shchekochikhin, Russian Duma members Galina Starovoitova and Sergei Yushenkov, and journalist Artyom Borovik: Many commentators have noted that she was killed on Putin's birthday. Historian Yuri Felshtinsky and political scientist Vladimir Pribylovsky commented that none of the official suspects had personal motives to kill Politkovskaya. Ramzan Kadyrov said"
"prepared by Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was later found shot to death in her apartment building). Like Litvinenko, Shchekochikhin had investigated the Russian apartment bombings (he was a member of the Kovalev Commission that hired Litvinenko's friend Mikhail Trepashkin as a legal counsel). KGB defector and British agent Oleg Gordievsky believes the murders of Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, Shchekochikhin, and Politkovskaya and the incident with Litvinenko show that the FSB has returned to the practice of political assassinations, which were conducted in the past by Thirteenth Department of the KGB. A comparison was also made with Roman Tsepov who was responsible"
"constant derisive articles about me that appear in other newspapers and on Internet sites presenting me as the madwoman of Moscow. I find it disgusting to live this way. I would like a bit more understanding. After Politkovskaya's murder, Vyacheslav Izmailov, her colleague at ""Novaya Gazeta""—a military man who had helped negotiate the release of dozens of hostages in Chechnya before 1999—said that he knew of at least nine previous occasions when Politkovskaya had faced death, commenting ""Frontline soldiers do not usually go into battle so often and survive"". Politkovskaya herself did not deny being afraid, but felt responsible and"
"corruption in the Russian army and its conduct in Chechnya, was shot in the lobby of her apartment building, on Putin's birthday. The death of Politkovskaya triggered international criticism, with accusations that Putin has failed to protect the country's new independent media. Putin himself said that her death caused the government more problems than her writings. In 2007, ""Dissenters' Marches"" were organized by the opposition group The Other Russia, led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov and national-Bolshevist leader Eduard Limonov. Following prior warnings, demonstrations in several Russian cities were met by police action, which included interfering with the travel"