Tenth anniversary of Forbes magazine editor’s death grim reminder of impunity in Russia, says OSCE representative

VIENNA, 9 July 2014 - On the tenth anniversary of the death of Forbes magazine editor Paul Klebnikov the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today called on the government of the Russian Federation to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists.

“This anniversary is a grim reminder that journalists’ safety remains inadequately addressed in the Russian Federation. Impunity must be eradicated and the perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice,” Mijatović said. “Journalists play a pivotal role in advancing democracy and human rights, often at great personal risk.”

Klebnikov, a U.S. citizen of Russian descent, was shot and killed in Moscow on 9 July 2004. Before joining the Russian edition of Forbes Klebnikov was a senior editor with Forbes Magazine in the United States. He had reported extensively about political developments, corruption and organized crime in Russia.

The Russian Federation is the participating State of the OSCE with the highest number of journalists brutally attacked and killed in the past 15 years. Among them are Mikhail Beketov (Khimkinskaya Pravda), Kazbek Gekkiyev (VGTRK), Anna Politkovskaya (Novaya Gazeta), Anastasia Baburova (Novaya Gazeta), Yury Shchekochikhin (Novaya Gazeta), Magomed Yevloyev (Ingushetiya), Ivan Safronov (Kommersant), Igor Domnikov (Novaya Gazeta), Vladislav Listyev (ORT), Dmitry Kholodov (Moskovsky Komsomolets), Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev (Novoe Delo), Khadzhimurad Kamalov (Chernovik), Abdulmalik Akhmedilov (Hakikat) and many others.

“I closely follow the work of the Investigative Committee for the Russian Federation and I acknowledge the progress made, especially in the case of Anna Politkovskaya. But much more needs to be done in order to put an end to impunity,” Mijatović said. “Despite pledges at the highest level, most of the cases of killings of journalists remain unsolved and that has an enormous chilling effect on free media.”

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on facebook.com/osce.rfom.