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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Mourners gather in Moscow for slain journalist's funeral

2006-10-10

Putin's true colors on display. Why isn't this being denounced in the US? Since when is murdering those who expose your crimes an acceptable behavior for a 'democratic' leader? MOSCOW-- Hundreds of ordinary Russians, journalists and Western diplomats Tuesday filed past an open casket to pay their respects to slain reporter Anna Politkovskaya, a prominent Kremlin critic whose contract-style killing triggered international outrage. But no high-ranking government officials attended the funeral of the award-winning journalist, who made her name fearlessly exposing abductions and torture in the war in Chechnya. "The authorities are cowards. Why didn't they come? Are they afraid even of a dead Politkovskaya?" asks Boris Nemtsov, a prominent 1990s reformer who served as deputy prime minister under former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Politkovskaya, 48, was gunned down in her apartment building Saturday. The killing threw a new spotlight on the risks faced by journalists who criticize Russian authorities and dig deep to expose abuses. At home and abroad, her slaying drew widespread concern about dwindling media freedom in Russia since President Vladimir Putin came to power nearly seven years ago and calls for authorities to find and punish her killers. Prosecutors have said she was probably killed because of her journalistic work, but there are no immediate leads. More than 1,000 mourners who had gathered under the drizzle filed in slow procession past the open casket where Politkovskaya lay in a funeral hall on the outskirts of Moscow, her forehead covered with a white ribbon according to Russian Orthodox tradition. They placed flowers, mostly roses and carnations, around the coffin, while others held thin yellow prayer candles. Many wept. "Anya lived and died a hero," said veteran human rights campaigner Lyudmila Alexeyeva. "She couldn't bear seeing how people suffer, how they're in trouble, and that's why she rushed to their help as if she were the most powerful person in the world, not waiting for other help to arrive." U.S. Ambassador William Burns attended the ceremony. "I hope that this tragic death will lead to greater respect for freedom of speech, for the importance of speaking the truth and achieving fairness and truth," Burns told the mourners. Putin issued a brief statement after a conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush promising an "objective investigation" into Politkovskaya's killing, three days after her death, but he has not spoken publicly about the crime. Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika has taken personal charge of the investigation, but Politkovskaya's colleagues have expressed doubts her slaying will be solved. Her newspaper has pledged to conduct an independent investigation and offered a nearly million-dollar reward for information that would help solve the crime. The family of Paul Klebnikov, a U.S. journalist whose 2004 slaying in Moscow remains unresolved, said Politkovskaya's death sent yet another worrying signal. "Who's next?" Klebnikov's widow, Musa asked in a statement. "Without journalists such as Anna Politkovskaya and Paul Klebnikov, as well as many others who say truths some find uncomfortable - you cannot build civil society in Russia." Russia is the third-most deadly country for journalists, after Iraq and Algeria, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, which says Politkovskaya was at least the 43rd reporter killed for her work in Russia since 1993. A fierce critic of the wars in the rebellious province of Chechnya, Politkovskaya reported on abuses by forces of the Russian military and Moscow-backed government. Colleagues said she had been working on a story about torture and abductions in Chechnya, abuses she blamed on Moscow-backed Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov. In a newspaper interview published Monday, Kadyrov denied any link to Chechnya in the killing. Politkovskaya's colleagues described her as a brave reporter and a courageous woman who would venture into war-shattered Chechen villages not just to conduct investigations for her stories but also to help ordinary people. At times she was in such danger that people tried to protect her by taking her from village to village in a car trunk, said her closest collaborator at the paper, Vyacheslav Izmailov.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Two Chechens Accused in Editor's Death

2005-11-22

The American editor of Forbes magazine's Russian edition was gunned down in a contract killing ordered by a former Chechen separatist, prosecutors said Monday, announcing that two Chechens would stand trial in the 2004 death. Paul Klebnikov, a 41-year-old American of Russian descent, was killed outside the magazine's Moscow offices on July 9, 2004. Two Chechens currently now in custody, Kazbek Dukuzov and Musa Vakhayev, are being charged with the murder and with other crimes, the prosecutor-general's office said. Prosecutors said Khozh-Akhmed Nukhayev, a former deputy prime minister in Chechnya's separatist government, had offered the two men and other accomplices money to carry out the murder. Nukhayev was the subject of a critical book by Klebnikov called "Conversations with a Barbarian." Investigators have given no evidence to back up their conclusion, however, and doubts remain about whether the suspects were involved. Klebnikov's family has expressed skepticism about the Chechens' involvement, and urged the Russian government to invite U.S. law enforcement agencies into the investigation. His brother, Michael, said that Klebnikov had given him the impression that Nukhayev was pleased with the book. The whereabouts of the former separatist figure are unknown. Some observers have pointed to the journalist's investigative work as a more likely motive, saying Klebnikov had delved deep into the still-murky post-Soviet business world in his work at Forbes.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Nuggets From Pravda

2005-10-25

US Congress Cracks Down on Freedom of Speech in Russia: Limitless freedom of speech does not exist in the USA at all. ...The anti-Russian provocation in the US Congress was initiated by Republican Congressman Thaddeus McCotter. The official referred to last year's report from the US State Department and said that the pressure on the part of the Russian government supposedly infringes the freedoms of Russian mass media. Furthermore, the US official concluded on the result of the above-mentioned document that the suppression of freedom of speech in Russia results in unpunished intimidation and crimes committed against journalists, including murder. The official exemplified his statement with the killing of US journalist Paul Klebnikov (former editor of Forbes Russia), which, as American congressmen believe, is connected with alleged violation of freedom of press in Russia... ...There are certain tabooed subjects in the USA too. World-known film director Oliver Stone made a movie about the assassination of the American President John Kennedy. The movie, titled J.F.K., was released in 1991. The director expressed a different version about Kennedy's death. As a result, almost all famous American newspapers and magazines cracked down on Stone saying that it was a slanderous motion picture, the director of which was an uneducated individual. Oliver Stone accused American journalists of their dependence on the CIA, which supposedly ordered those numerous negative reviews of his work. As a result, Oliver Stone has not been making any political movies since that time. Well, off the top of my head, there was Nixon, among other politically oriented movies, including interviews with Fidel Castro... he's also working on an unnamed Sept. 11 project. Therefore, the concerns on the US Congress about the violation of freedom of speech in Russia looks rather unfriendly and cynical. A regular press shop or a kiosk in Moscow sells a variety of newspapers and magazines representing the views of communists, liberals, pro-Russian and anti-Russian organizations, and even homosexuals.... Let me guess... they're all free to publish their own customized versions of The Protocols of the Elders of Carencro. Average bribe in Russia grows up to $135,000 vs. $23,000 in 2001. And those damn kids won't get off my lawn. Russian Navy was Absolutely Negligent to Withdraw Vessels from Baltic Republics: The Russian Navy abandoned 22 submarines during removal of the Russian forces from the Baltic republics. ...People selling Russian vessels abroad did not specify especially for what purpose they must be further used. Often, Russian ships were turned into floating restaurants, bars and even brothels (B-24 was turned into a brothel in Copenhagen). Later, Germans bought the ship to make it a naval museum in Penemuende. Now, after some repairing the vessel is a key exhibit of the exposition. B-77, after it was enabled for shooting K-19: The Widowmaker, became a permanent exhibit of the naval museum in Providence, US. Americans swore they would respect the Russian submarine not less than the key exhibit of the museum, Saratoga aircraft-carrier. Today, B-77 is not only a museum; it is a teaching complex used for scientific conferences and scout gatherings. Newly married couples often walk along the deck of the Soviet rocket carrier believing it may make their future family life happy. I wonder how many of these might actually still be militarily useful for one of the world's more underfunded navies. Syria Blames UN for Fabricating Report on Rafik Hariri's Assassination: According to Syrian politicians, the UN's report pursuant to the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister is politically biased and not true to fact. The Syrian point of view is compared and contrasted with that of the anti-Syrian factions in Lebanon. USA Desperate to Shift Blame for Iraqi Mess on Syria and Iran. I get the feeling half the regulars could write this one from the title. It compares and contrasts Syria's domestic policies with Saudi Arabia's, but neglects Syria's support for Hezbollah and similar groups in Lebanon as outlined in the article above. Well, I guess it would be wrong to criticize Pravda in particular for not representing a broad range of opinions. Colombian Court Allows Pro-US Uribe's Re-election Amid Corruption Allegations: A court member accused fellow judges of taking money for voting to approve the law paving the way for presidents to serve more than one term. Bird flu Commotion Caused to Bring Russian Poultry Market Down: The bird flu hysteria may eventually generate another one - the mad cow disease. ..."This is an artificially caused commotion, from which someone obviously derives profits," the director of the Russian Poultry Farm Union, Galina Bobyleva told Pravda.Ru. The chairman of the agricultural committee of the Federation Council, Sergei Lisovsky, shares the opinion: "The disease is known for more than a hundred years already. I think that Western importers of poultry are trying to bring fears on the market taking into consideration the growing Russian poultry farming. It is a matter of competition on the market of poultry," Lisovsky told Interfax Thursday... Once again... Item 29. The Irish MPs are not after “Me frosted lucky charms”. Current Avian flu is Even More Dangerous Than 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic: The H5N1 subtype flu virus can affect not only lungs but also other organs. An interesting article comparing the current bird flu with the Spanish Flu from the end of WW1. ...But the researches also revealed that the Spanish flu virus was less dangerous than the avian flu virus killing people today. The H5N1 subtype flu virus can affect not only lungs but also other organs. It cannot be destroyed with interferon, the compound helping the human immunity fight viruses. What is more, it is also stable against the popular flu medications used in Russia and other countries within many years. The Spanish flu lethality made up about 1 percent while the lethality of the new avian flu fluctuates from 50 to 100 percent in different countries... You know, the author of this article might want to poke his head out of his cubicle, and have a little talk with the guy who wrote the previous one. Earth's Rotation Can Lead to the Deluge: Snows of Antarctica and Greenland are harbouring danger. Visit scenic R'yleh?

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Chechen ordered murder of US national

2005-06-16

Russian prosecutors have determined that a former separatist Chechen official who was the subject of a book by U.S. journalist Paul Klebnikov ordered his murder, a spokesman said Thursday, announcing the resolution of one of the highest-profile killings in Russia in a decade. Vasiliy Lushchenko, a spokesman for prosecutor general's office, identified the suspected mastermind as Khozh-Akhmed Nukhayev. He said a total of four people are suspected of involvement in the killing; two are in police custody and two are still at large. Klebnikov, a 41-year-old American of Russian descent who was editor of Forbes magazine's Russian edition, was gunned down last July outside the magazine's Moscow offices. Alexander Gordeyev, a colleague from the Russian edition of Newsweek who came to Klebnikov's aid, told The Associated Press then that the dying journalist couldn't say who could have been behind the attack. At the time, speculation was rife about a connection with Klebnikov's work at Forbes, which two months earlier had published a list of Russia's 100 wealthiest people that was said to have annoyed many in the nation's secretive business elite. But there was also ample speculation on Klebnikov's book, "Conversations With a Barbarian," which cast Nukhayev and other Chechen rebels in a sharply negative light. The book was based on his interviews with Nukhayev, a former deputy prime minister in the Chechen separatist government. "From the point of view of logic, the most obvious trail is the Chechen trail," said business commentator Yulia Latynina, who theorized that the book was seen by Nukhayev's circle as a stain on his honor. But Oleg Panfilov, director of the Center of Journalism in Extreme Situations, cast doubt on the likelihood that Nukhayev was behind Klebnikov's killings. "My main argument is that there have been lots of bad books written about Chechens," Panfilov said. "Why go after Klebnikov?" He suggested that prosecutors had announced a resolution to the case in hopes of heading off pressure from the U.S. authorities, who have been pushing Moscow to investigate the case thoroughly. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists is planning a conference in Moscow in July to focus on journalists who have been killed on the job, which Panfilov said could have provided another impetus to prosecutors to close the case. Authorities have said two Chechens, Kazbek Dukuzov and Musa Vakhayev, were in custody. Investigators revealed last week that the two were also believed to have been involved in the slaying in Moscow last year of Yan Sergunin, a former official in Chechnya's Moscow-backed government. Klebnikov also was widely known for a book about controversial tycoon Boris Berezovsky. After Klebnikov wrote a profile of Berezovsky for Forbes in 1996, Berezovsky filed a libel suit against the magazine in Britain. He withdrew the suit in 2003 after the publication acknowledged it was wrong to allege he was involved in the murder of television personality Vladislav Listyev.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Klebnikov Suspect Detained in Minsk

2004-11-30

A main suspect in the murder of American journalist Paul Klebnikov has been detained by Belarussian authorities after reportedly fleeing to Minsk to hide from Russian authorities. Kazbek Dukuzov, an ethnic Chechen, ... and wotta surprise that is... was detained along with several other people and is being held at a detention facility of the Belarussian Security Services, or KGB, in Minsk, Belarus' Interior Ministry said Monday. A suspect named Kazbek was earlier linked to the July 9 murder and is believed to have made several phone calls to another suspect on the night of the murder. It was unclear, however, whether the suspect detained in Minsk was the same man. Belarussian Interior Ministry spokesman Gennady Glebcha confirmed by telephone from Minsk that several arrests have been made in a joint operation between the Interior Ministry and the KGB. Glebcha, however, declined to give any details about the arrests or comment on any connection to Klebnikov's murder. Klebnikov, the editor of Forbes Russia, was shot outside his office in an apparent contract hit. Late last week, the Prosecutor General's Office charged Musa Vakhayev, 40, a native of the Chechen town of Urus-Martan, for involvement in Klebnikov's slaying, Vremya Novostei reported Monday. Citing investigators, the newspaper reported that Vakhayev is suspected of driving the car from which Klebnikov was gunned down. Kommersant reported earlier that Vakhayev's fingerprints were found in the Lada. Kommersant also reported that a man named Kazbek made several calls to Vakhayev's mobile phone on the evening of the murder.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Two Arrested in Death of U.S. Journalist

2004-09-28

Two Chechen men suspected of taking part in the murder of American journalist Paul Klebnikov have been arrested, police said Tuesday, and one commentator cited his interviews with a rebel leader as a possible motive. Three guns were seized from the men, and preliminary findings indicated that one of the weapons might have been used in the July 9 murder of Klebnikov, the editor of Forbes magazine's Russian edition, police chief Vladimir Pronin told the Interfax news agency. He added that the suspects, who were detained overnight, had kidnapped an unidentified person prior to the killing. Police spokesman Pavel Klimovsky confirmed the suspects had been detained, but gave no other details. The chief prosecutor's office later sharply reprimanded Pronin, telling Interfax that nobody is authorized to comment on the case except the appropriate investigator and prosecutor. The release of information by anyone else is "unacceptable" and could seriously hurt efforts to solve the crime, Interfax quoted the prrosecutor general's office as saying. In a telephone call to The Associated Press in New York, Klebnikov's brother, Michael, read a statement from the family saying it would "wait to see the incontrovertible evidence that the individuals apprehended today in Moscow are indeed responsible for Paul's murder. In any case, this would be only a first step to identifying, apprehending and convicting those responsible for ordering his assassination." Klebnikov, an American of Russian ancestry, was gunned down outside the magazine's office in downtown Moscow in a slaying that compounded concerns about the safety of journalists in Russia and about the violence that is often used to settle scores.

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Russia

Murder in Russia is latest in string of attacks on journalists

2004-07-11

The drive-by murder of American journalist Paul Klebnikov in Moscow was the latest in a series of attacks on reporters and editors working in Russia. "Russia is consistently one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a journalist," said Ann Cooper, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, noting that 14 journalists in Russia have been killed here in the last four years. None of the killers has been prosecuted, and Cooper said "this shameful record of impunity" and "the Kremlin’s indifference to press freedom" have created a murderous and dangerous climate for journalists. The group Reporters Without Borders also has described Russia as ""one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists." Klebnikov, 41, editor of the newly launched Russian edition of Forbes magazine, was killed by two gunmen as he left his office late Friday night. He was the first U.S. journalist to be murdered in Russia. Russian Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov has taken over the investigation into Klebnikov’s slaying, according to the Interfax news agency, and police have recovered the gunmen’s car. Slugs were recovered from the scene, confirming reports of two gunmen, but no other significant developments in the latest attack on a reporter. Journalists from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have been assaulted in recent months, and last week marked the one-year anniversary of the poisoning death of crusading journalist Yuri Shchekochikin. A former member of the Russian parliament, he had written about the possible involvement of Russian security agencies in a series of apartment bombings in Moscow in 1999, explosions that the government has blamed on Chechen terrorists. Two investigative newspaper journalists, Alexei Sidrov and Valery Ivanov, were murdered last year in the Russian automaking center of Togliatti. Both men were investigating corruption in the car industry, and a senior Russian official called Sidrov’s stabbing death "a deliberate act of terror."

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Russia

Report: Editor of Russian Forbes Killed

2004-07-09

The American editor of Forbes Magazine's Russian edition and author of a book about tycoon Boris Berezovsky was shot to death late Friday, the magazine said. Paul Klebnikov, 41, was hit four times outside the magazine's office and died in a rescue-squad vehicle, Russian news reports said. The radio station Ekho Moskvy said shells of two different caliber were found at the scene, indicating at least two assailants. Police could not be reached for comment, but the killing was confirmed in a statement by Forbes publisher Steve Forbes.

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