Thursday, June 19, 2008

Men Charged in Russian Journalist's Murder

According to Russian authorities investigating the 2006 murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, three men have been charged over the crime. Their role in the murder was not explained.On June 18, the investigative committee of the Prosecutor-General's Office named the accused as Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, Dzhabrail Makhmudov and Ibragim Makhmudov. Khadzhikurbanov is a former police officer. The Makhmudov brothers are from Chechnya.
Certainly, no one seems to believe that these accusations mark the end of the investigation. "I have said many times that this is only the first part of the case," said Sergei Sokolov, deputy editor of Novaya Gazeta."I am calling on all our colleagues to be attentive to what is going on. If you look carefully at the investigative committee's official announcement, it says they have completed the investigation into the specific people who have been named in connection with the case. This means that the Politkovskaya investigation is not finished, but that it has only completed one part. It's not over yet, there will be a second and a third part."Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, also points out that "no criminal cases have been opened in relation to those who released leaks. It's through their fault the murderer remains at large."Muratov insists that Novaya Gazeta will continue its own independent investigation into the murder: "We believe, as before, that the investigation is on the right track. But one cannot interpret this as an end, or say that the crime has been solved." Read full story

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