Justice Remains Absent in Politkovskaya Trial
Russian Criminal Procedure Shows Signs of Political Manipulation
Dec 2, 2008
Before she was murdered in Moscow, Politkovskaya became famous for investigating and reporting on a series of human rights abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya. Her high profile work had become increasingly dangerous and politically damaging for the Russian government. Therefore, some observers have gone so far as to suggest that elements within the Russian government orchestrated her murder. Throughout the criminal investigation and judicial process there have also been many rumors and accusations of government manipulation of the police and the judicial system.
The Trial and The Politics
There have been calls by some of the lawyers involved with the case to have the judge removed because of his order that the trial be conducted behind closed doors, and because of doubts as to his objectivity. The trial has also been unusual because it is being held at a Moscow military court since one of the defendants is a retired employee of the F.S.B., previously known as the K.G.B. Although most of the suspects are currently detained and on trial, the alleged gunman himself is in hiding and has offered to surrender to authorities only if they can guarantee an open trial.
The person who actually ordered her death has not been officially identified. Chief prosecutor Yuri Chaika has suggested that foreign actors had Politkovskaya killed in an effort to discredit the government and destabilize Russia. Vladimir Putin, Russian president at the time, echoed this sentiment when he said that: “people who are hiding from Russian law enforcement have been hatching plans to sacrifice someone and create an anti-Russian wave in the world”. From another perspective, defense attorney Murad Musayev has said he believes the evidence indicates that a politician inside Russia ordered her assassination.
Part of a Trend
The Russian government has often been accused of eroding freedom of the press and not protecting journalists. Statistics show that since 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many journalists in Russia have been specifically targeted, attacked, and even murdered. These statistics further indicate that in most cases suspects were either not found or not prosecuted. Reports have also indicated that the most notable murders occurred during the presidency of Vladimir Putin.
The Guardian´s Luke Harding recently wrote that: “Underlying these attacks on Russian journalists is the nature of modern Russian society and the sophisticated autocratic state created by Putin, in which the media play a key role. The Kremlin controls all state television networks and most newspapers, leaving journalists who work for independent publications increasingly vulnerable and exposed”. Many Russian Activists and international observers are calling for the Russian government to create and implement new policies specifically designed to end to this trend.
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