Impunity for crimes committed against journalists in Russia must end, OSCE Representative says on tenth anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s death

VIENNA, 7 October 2016 – On the tenth anniversary of the death of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, 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.

“I do acknowledge the progress made in the case of Anna Politkovskaya, but much more still needs to be done,” Mijatović said. “It is unacceptable that 10 years on after this horrific murder the masterminds behind her assassination are still at large.”

Mijatović noted that despite pledges at the highest political level, the majority of killings of journalists in Russia remain unsolved.

“This vicious circle of impunity has a detrimental effect on the media freedom situation in the country,” the Representative said.

Politkovskaya was shot and killed in Moscow on 7 October 2006 in the residential building where she lived. In 2003, she received the OSCE Prize for Journalism and Democracy for her courageous professional work in support of “human rights and freedom of the media”.

In June 2014 sentences were handed down to five individuals for the murder of Politkovskaya, a move which was welcomed by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (see www.osce.org/fom/119640). However, the investigation was unable to name the masterminds of the crime.

In memory of Politkovskaya and marking the tenth anniversary of her death, Novaya Gazeta today published an opinion piece written by the Representative. The piece is available at https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2016/10/07/70091-chto-by-skazala-nam-segodnya-anna-politkovskaya.

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 atwww.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.