On the anniversary of the death of my colleague Anna Politkovskaya, I suddenly discovered that I had forgotten whether or not they ever caught her killers

I only remember the pompous, yet bungled goings on. There were the prosecutors, rushing to calm a hysterical West (“We found them! We found the evil doers and now we’ll put them away!”), as well as the lawyers juggling myriads of dissonant theories all covered with unpronounceable Chechen surnames. Oh yes, I remember how, in the end, the jury decided that it was not the guilty who had been arrested, and how the public spat and headed home, grumbling: “Serves 'em right, they can’t do anything right! Even when they really try they just can’t get it right, and that’s that!”

Once again investigators are dragging the very same suspects into court, and probably with the same half-grief as last time they will try to put them away. It is possible that whoever ordered them to do this crime will be introduced to the public – and they will turn out to be some shadowy Chechen criminal figures who, of course, for no reason whatsoever suddenly decided to kill a Moscow journalist. Very few people, of course, will buy it… but I am thinking about something else.

I almost forgot about Politkovskaya, but certainly not out of indifference, since in the end we all run the risk of suffering because of our investigative reporting. It is just that in the five years following Anna’s death, Russia has gotten even worse. There is now, inside the country, this sleepy atmosphere of infinite and absolute hopelessness, of going around in circles like in that Hollywood movie ‘Groundhog Day’. Now we see the same pathetically inept fuss that surrounded the Politkovskaya case reflected on the news feeds every single day: the Investigation Committee tries to lock up some Moscow district prosecutors, but cannot, they try to investigate the Magnitsky case, but it turns out it would have been better not to bother! They are looking for some high-ranking people who ordered the killing of Chechen human rights activist Natalia Estemirova and the attack on Oleg Kashin, but they are not getting anywhere. They arrest Investigator Dmitreyeva on charges of taking bribes, but the prosecutor asks for her release.

Out of habit, knowing it to be an inexorable given that Russia’s law enforcement and judicial systems are a shambles and not that schizophrenic March Hare's rabbit hole, we yawn and turn the newspaper page, thinking: “What idiots!”

Back then, five years ago, I somehow hoped that Politkovskaya’s death might at least shake up the country a bit and make the authorities think about what the hell is going on, but now the only thing that remains is to remember the brave Politkovskaya, and wish my colleagues but one thing — to not be afraid.

By Vladimir Vorsobin, in ‘Komsomolskaya Pravda’
http://kp.ru/daily/25766.4/2751362/

Comments (2)

1. Àííà Ïîëèòêîâñêàÿ. Íàì íðàâèòñÿ Written by «Íîâàÿ ãàçåòà» , on 06-10-2011 20:30 Íà «Ôýéñáóêå» ïîÿâèëñÿ àêêàóíò, ïîëíîñòüþ ïîñâåùåííûé íàøåé êîëëåãå  ñîöèàëüíîé ñåòè «Ôåéñáóê» ìû ñîçäàëè ñòðàíèöó, ïîñâÿùåííóþ Àíå Ïîëèòêîâñêîé. Çäåñü ìû âûëîæèì âñå åå ôîòîãðàôèè, ïîêàæåì åå ðàáî÷èé êàáèíåò, ïîçíàêîìèì ñ åå ïóáëèêàöèÿìè, ñåìüåé, äàäèì âîçìîæíîñòü ïî÷èòàòü åå êíèãè, ïîñëóøàòü åå ëþáèìóþ ìóçûêó è ïîãîâîðèòü — î íåé. Ìû õîòåëè áû íàïîëíÿòü ýòè ñòðàíèöû âìåñòå ñ âàìè, ÷èòàòåëÿìè, è îòêðûëè òàêóþ âîçìîæíîñòü äëÿ âñåõ. Ëþáîé èç âàñ ìîæåò äîáàâèòü ôîòî è âèäåîìàòåðèàëû, îñòàâèòü êîììåíòàðèé èëè ïðåäëîæèòü ðåäàêöèè îðãàíèçîâàòü ñîáûòèå â ïàìÿòü î íåé. Ïîäåëèòåñü ñ íàìè Àíåé. Åé áû òî÷íî ýòî ïîíðàâèëîñü! Ïðèõîäèòå íà: http://www.facebook.com/anna.politkovskaya.novayagazeta Report

Write Comment
Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Homepage
Title:
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze — www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved