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MOSCOW Posted May 22, 2007 Vyacheslav Izmailov, Novaya Gazeta‘s military correspondent, leads a visitor down a long, dark hallway to Anna Politkovskaya’s locked office. Things are mostly as she left them, he says, pointing to a desk covered in newspapers and folders. A delicate vase is filled with fresh flowers. At Novaya Gazeta, Moscow’s twice-weekly independent newspaper, the staff’s pain is fresh even now, months after an assassin gunned down Politkovskaya–Anya, as colleagues called her–in her Moscow apartment building in October 2006.
The news staff of 60 can boast of coverage that has spurred more than 30 criminal investigations over the years. Politkovskaya’s work alone resulted in 15 such cases and more than 20 convictions. Now, staffers are turning their attention to the deaths of their own colleagues. “The truth is, we cannot back down,” says Izmailov, whose office is brimming with files on the journalists’ murders. “It is they who must fear us, not vice versa. Only then do we stand a chance at uncovering the truth.” While the paper has made progress in probing all three cases, he says the biggest challenge is getting authorities to prosecute. “We have to make sure our cases are solid so prosecutors would have no choice but to consider them,” Izmailov says. Shchekochikhin, 53, had long covered sensitive subjects such as military corruption and alleged atrocities by Russian troops in Chechnya. In July 2003, he fell gravely ill with what authorities said was “a rare allergy” and died in a hospital only a few days later. Hospital authorities sealed his records, saying only that they were “a medical secret,” and refused to grant access–even to his immediate family. Both Novaya and Shchekochikhin’s relatives suspect he was poisoned to prevent him from further covering an intricate scheme involving money laundering, weapons trafficking, and illegal oil smuggling–allegations that reached into the prosecutor general’s office and the Federal Security Services (FSB). A month before the mysterious sickness claimed his life, Shchekochikhin questioned the independence of the judicial system handling the case. “Do not tell me fairy tales about the independence of judges,” he wrote. “Until we have a fair trial, documents will be purged, witnesses intimidated or killed, and investigators themselves prosecuted.” The prosecutor general’s office says there is no evidence of foul play in Shchekochikhin’s death. At the same time, Novaya is investigating the latest murder of a staffer. In an editorial published immediately after Politkovskaya’s assassination, the staff pledged, “While there is a Novaya Gazeta, her killers won’t sleep soundly.” Four days later, they published Politkovskaya’s unfinished article about torture committed against Chechen civilians by security units loyal to Ramzan Kadyrov, then prime minister and now acting president of the southern republic, along with photos of the torture victims. And in early January, Novaya investigative reporter Igor Korolkov published a lengthy article that blamed security agents for killing government critics as a matter of “state interest.” “When Anya was killed, I called an emergency editorial meeting and wanted to close down the paper,” Editor Dmitry Muratov says. “I told my staff no story is worth dying for. But they wouldn’t let me do it …We had to go on.”
At least two Novaya journalists have received death threats in connection with their investigation of Politkovskaya’s murder. One received an anonymous text message that noted his home address and warned him to stop digging into the case. Editor Muratov says a personal guard has been assigned to one staffer, whom he declined to name. It was a lofty goal considering they began with two computers, one printer, two rooms, and no money for salaries. Sokolov and several colleagues handed out copies of Novaya’s first issue to passersby near the Pushkinskaya subway station in central Moscow. It was April 1, 1993–April Fools’ Day, the skeptics pointed out. “We had to work without salaries and publish each issue as if it were our last,” Sokolov says. An initial boost came from former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who donated part of his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize award to pay for computers and salaries. In 1994, former first lady Raisa Gorbachev bought Muratov his first mobile phone, according to press reports. By 1996, Novaya’s circulation had risen to 70,000 from its initial run of 10,000 copies. There were bumps along the way, though. The paper was never popular with advertisers, who preferred higher-circulation, more commercial publications. It struggled financially and briefly shut down in 1995. In 2002, a series of libel lawsuits carrying hefty fines almost caused another suspension. Muratov says the paper was targeted by disgruntled officials who were accommodated in politicized Russian courts. Unlike most other liberal media, Novaya did not compromise its independent stance in the early 1990s, even when the paper’s position was unpopular. When then-President Boris Yeltsin ordered a violent crackdown on communist hardliners who rose against him in October 1993, Novaya condemned his actions, which left scores of people dead, including six journalists, according to CPJ research. And in 1996, when liberal media backed Yeltsin’s re-election, the paper kept its balanced coverage. That kind of editorial integrity preserved Novaya’s credibility, sustained its readership, and attracted some of Russia’s top journalists. The paper’s independence has been boosted by the fact that, until recently, Novaya journalists owned 100 percent of its stock. In June 2006, to secure an infusion of capital, Muratov persuaded his staff to sell 49 percent of their stock to longtime benefactor Gorbachev and a partner, Aleksandr Lebedev. Lebedev, a billionaire Moscow banker and member of the ruling, pro-Kremlin party United Russia, bought 39 percent of the shares while Gorbachev received 10 percent. Though Lebedev has assured the staff he shares their values and won’t seek to influence editorial matters, there are skeptics in and out of the newsroom. A number of government-connected businesspeople have bought into media properties in recent years. Less than two months after Lebedev’s partial purchase of Novaya, the Kremlin-friendly businessman Alisher Usmanov, general director of Gazprom subsidiary Gazprominvestholding, bought the business daily Kommersant, one of the last independent newspapers with national reach. Two years before, the popular independent daily Izvestiya was purchased by Gazprom; it no longer criticizes the Kremlin. Muratov says he is not worried. Support from Gorbachev and Lebedev, he says, would only strengthen the paper. “I am sure that with his authority, Mr. Gorbachev wants to protect us from all possible forms of pressure,” he told Russian papers. “We want this newspaper to serve not the state, but society.” According to news reports, Lebedev will invest US$3.6 million to raise staff salaries, upgrade the paper’s offices and equipment, and turn Novaya into a daily with a national reach. (It now has a circulation of 171,000, about 40 percent of which is based in Moscow.) When Politkovskaya was murdered, Lebedev immediately announced a reward of US$1 million for information about the killers. The financial backing will no doubt keep Novaya reporters working. But being a muckraking reporter in Russia, the world’s third-most dangerous country for journalists, is a risky proposition. The public overwhelmingly approves of President Vladimir Putin’s policies, and it appears unmoved by attacks on the press, Muratov acknowledges, so every assignment begs the question, “Is the story worth the risk?”
Muratov says Novaya’s staff has pulled together, again, after a colleague’s murder. “We are putting together a team of four journalists to take her place,” he says, then pauses. “It takes four people to replace one Anya.” Nina Ognianova, CPJ’s program coordinator for Europe and Central Asia, led a delegation to Moscow in January 2007. |
Media Alert: University of Montana to host 7th Annual Central and Southwest Asia Conference April 22-24
Conference On Central, Southwest Asia At UM April 22-24
Last Updated (Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00) Written by Jennifer Sauer Thursday, 16 April 2009 16:46
UM will host the Seventh Annual Central and Southwest Asia Conference at UM from Wednesday to Friday, April 22-24.
Contact: Brian Lofink, UM Central and Southwest Asia Program coordinator, 406-243-2299, brian.lofink@mso.umt.edu.
CONFERENCE ON CENTRAL, SOUTHWEST ASIA AT UM APRIL 22-24
MISSOULA –
The University of Montana will host the Seventh Annual Central and Southwest Asia Conference at UM from Wednesday to Friday, April 22-24.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is presented by UM’s Central and Southwest Asia Program. The theme of this year’s conference is “Beyond the Headlines: Peace and Conflict in Central and Southwest Asia.”
The conference will bring internationally renowned scholars, diplomats, analysts and journalists to UM to engage the campus and the community in a discussion about the challenges countries in Central and Southwest Asia are facing and how those challenges impact the United States.
A complete conference schedule with information about all speakers is online at http://www.umt.edu/ip/newsevents/centralasiaconference.aspx.
Wednesday, April 22:
- 7-9 p.m.: Keynote presentation — “Islam in the New Afghan Public Sphere,” University Center North Ballroom.
Thursday, April 23:
- 9:30-11 a.m.: “Tajikistan: An Ancient Nation in Transition,” University Center North Ballroom.
- 12:30-2 p.m.: Keynote presentation — “Independence, Civil War and International Mediation: Tajikistan’s Path to Peace,” University Center North Ballroom.
- 2:30-4 p.m.: “On the Frontline: Afghanistan and the Struggle Against Terrorism,” University Center North Ballroom.
- 7-9 p.m.: Keynote panel — “Terrorism, Counter-terrorism and Human Rights in Israel and Palestinian Territories,” University Center North Ballroom.
Friday, April 24:
- 10:30 a.m.-noon: “Kyrgyzstan and the New Great Game,” University Center Theater.
- 1-3 p.m.: “The Role of Arabic as a Language of War and Peace,” University Center Theater.
- 2 p.m.: Tajik Corner Opening Ceremony, University Center Room 220.
- 3:30-5 p.m.: “Confrontation in the Caucasus: The Conflict Between Georgia and Russia,” University Center Theater.
- 7-9 p.m.: Keynote presentation — “Islamist Movements in the Arab World, Iran and Afghanistan and the Potential of U.S. Engagement,” University Center Theater.
The conference is sponsored by the University’s Central and Southwest Asia Program, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, International Programs, the Office of the Provost and UM President George Dennison, the Office of the Provost, the Montana World Affairs Council and Humanities Montana.
President Obama to attend EU summit in Prague April 5, U.S. seeks Russian cooperation on Czech-Poland missile defense system to pressure Iran
Missoula, March 6 (Al-Masakin)—American President Barak Obama will attend the European Union (EU-27) summit in Prague April 5 according to a press release received by Al-Masakin today.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg in Brussels today. At a press conference after the meeting Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg said that American participation in the summit will be an important milestone in U.S.-EU relations. He said that he and the Secretary discussed the main topics of the summit such as Afghanistan, energy security, climate change, regional issues from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea, and the Balkans, the global financial crisis, Russia, the crisis in Georgia, the need to diversify the gas and oil resources, and the Middle East.
He said that the reform of the Afghan National Police (ANP) will be a top priority for the EU at the summit and that “Europe will maximize its efforts in stabilizing Afghanistan.” He went on to say that he and the Secretary were in agreement on the question of Iran, that the Iranian nuclear program is to them “unacceptable,” with respect to Palestine they agreed on the “two-state solution,” the Egyptian initiative, and the role of the Quartet.
“On Iran, we both agreed that only firm, united, and coordinated approach of the international community may lead to a tangible result. Continuation of the Iranian nuclear program and uranium enrichment is unacceptable.
“On the Middle East we have reiterated the importance of a two-state solution. The EU will continue to support the Egyptian efforts in the peace process. The role of the Quartet remains instrumental for reaching the solution. We are pleased that the new United States Administration reconfirmed its role in the Quartet,” the Czech Foreign Minister said today.
He went on to say that the EU looked forward to active engagement with the United States on climate change and hopes to secure an international agreement.
For her part, the Secretary aid she and the President hope to “energize the transatlantic relationship and to promote a strong European Union.” She said that both her and the President believe in a strong NATO. She said that the Administration supports EULEX Kosovo.
“We cannot afford to waste energy or resources. We all must be focused on the same agenda. We have embraced the EU’s new missions, like EULEX in Kosovo, where the United States is participating for the first time in an operation led by the European Security and Defense Policy. We are also committed to listening, consulting, and working in concert to deliver smart solutions to our shared challenges,” the Secretary said.
The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) is the largest civilian mission ever launched under the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). The central aim is to assist and support the Kosovo authorities in the rule of law area, specifically in the police, judiciary and customs areas.
The Secretary went on to say that America supports “EU initiatives to build a single energy market and to diversify gas supplies. EU leadership and unity were pivotal in resolving Russia’s recent gas cutoff to Ukraine and Europe, and that leadership may be needed again in the future.”
She went on to say that in order to resolve the global financial crisis America and the EU need coordinated strategy in advance of the G-20 summit in London April 2.
Taking questions from the press, the Secretary said that the Administration had already begun START talks with the Russian Federation. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russian will expire at the end of this year. She went on to say that missile defense is an element of American and European joint defense posture and was intended to pressure Iran and said that Russia and the United States have an opportunity to cooperate on missile defense.
“It obviously has to be proven to work and be cost-effective for it to be deployed in the Czech Republic and in Poland, but it is intended to be part of a deterrent and a defensive response vis-à-vis Iran and other actors that might obtain and determine to use missiles against Europe.
“We believe that Russia and the United States have the opportunity to cooperate on missile defense, to do joint research and joint development, and even eventually –assuming we can reach such an agreement – joint deployment,” Secretary Clinton said.
She went on to say that Iran was a threat to Europe and if were not for Poland and the Czech Republic stepping forward on America’s missile defense project, it would not be possible for the United States to engage with Russia on this issue.
“There are new threats that need to be addressed in new ways in order for us to guarantee the safety and security of Europe against these actors, whether it be Iran or a terrorist network, whatever it might be. So that is the argument and the case that I’m taking to Russia.
“But were it not for Poland and the Czech Republic being willing to step up and be part of this new defense posture, we would not be able to engage with Russia on this,” Mrs. Clinton said.
She said that both her and the President were working “aggressively” on the issue of the detainees imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay and that they are already in the process of reviewing “every single file.”
The Secretary of State will accompany President Obama to the E-27 summit.
The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993. The EU-27 is composed of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
EHC / EHC
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State Department confirms arms shipments through Russia, affirms Universal Jurisdiction of the ICC over Al Bashir, Roxana Saberi still incommunicado
Missoula, March 4 (Al-Masakin)–Acting Deputy Spokesman for the U.S. State Department Gordon Duguid responding to reporters questions about the U.S. position on the issuance of an arrest warrant for Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed at the daily press briefing this morning that the “the United States does is we expect all parties in Darfur to cooperate with this…and we want to see those who have committed atrocities held accountable for their actions and their crimes.”
Although the United States is a non-signor to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, and has enacted legislation opposing the courts authority to try an American citizen, it has supported the authority of Universal Jurisdiction over other cases besides the indictment of Al Bashir such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Special Tribunal for Lebanonat the Hague (STL), and Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)in Phnom Penh.
Theh Spokesman also confirmed that American military supplies are now moving through Russia to supply NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, but deferred questions about the details of that operation to the Department of Defense.
With respect to the detention of American reporter in Iran Roxana Saberi the Spokesman said: “We’re working through our protecting power, the Swiss, in order to make sure that a consular officer has access, that Ms. Saberi receives legal counsel, and that any trial that would result from her charges is both transparent and follows the established judicial process.”
The Spokesman said that the Swiss have confirmed that Saberi is detained in Iran’s Evin Prison, but could not confirm the charges against her. The Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reportedly told ABC’s Martha Raddatz that the State Department is seeking to preclude a trial in the Saberi case, the Spokesman said however that establishing consular access to Saberi and providing her with legal council was the first step in obtaining her release.
Although the American government has in the recent past moved very aggressively to quash independent media, particularly reporters working outside the mainstream media, in this country through organizations such as the FBI, which has itself threatened to murder a reporters and, in addition to unlawfully detaining several, and using stool pigeons to orchestrate near fatal attacks on journalists, said that the detention of Saberi:
“This is not the kind of response that anyone wants to see to freedom of the press, which is a basic right in most other countries. Arresting journalists and holding them incommunicado for lengthy periods of time is not in any society’s interest, and it’s certainly not something that the United States agrees with or looks on favorably.”
The American government has never demonstrated that its commitment to the freedom of the press extends beyond house journalists who function as their mouth pieces. Others are routinely beaten and jailed.
The Spokesman went on to say that although the State Department is still seeking diplomatic engagement with Iran, Iran’s “fist is still clenched.”
“As of right now, I have seen, you know, no signals that have welcomed our overtures. The fist is still clenched, if you will. We remain open to the possibility, but we are under absolutely no illusions about the difficulty of engaging Iran and are not putting our complete hopes that it will happen in the short term,” Deputy Acting Spokesman Gordan Duguid said this morning.
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Secretary of State Clinton will attend and participate in the donor’s conference for Gaza recovery hosted by Egypt on March 2, to meet with Palestinian officials in W. Bank thereafter
Missoula, Feb. 26 (Al-Masakin)–U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton arriving in Egypt March 1 will meet with Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell and other high-level representatives and will attend and participate in the donor’s conference for Gaza recovery at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt on March 2.
Thereafter the Secretary will meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Israel and in the West Bank respectively. The Secretary is not expected to visit Gaza.
On March 5 Mrs. Clinton will meet with NATO officals in Brussels to discuss the upcoming NATO summit where the allies will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the organization. The date of that summit has not been announced. While in Brussels the Secretary will meet separately with EU officials. She will then travel to Geneva.
After meeting with Swiss officials to discuss U.S.- Swiss cooperation the Secretary will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss a number of issues of mutual interest, including possibilities for a follow-on agreement to START, and U.S.-Russian cooperation in areas such as Afghanistan.
After that the Secretary will meet with Turkish officials in Ankara. The tour will end March 7.
EHC / EHC
Photos: Murder trial for assassinated Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya begins today, defense calls case: “dust, fluff and ash”
Photos: Moscow protesters commemorate slain reporter and human rights lawyer Feb. 15: “Your silence justifies murder”
State Department claims proposed missile deployment to deter N.-attack by Iran or DPRK
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/14/18570812.php
State Department: missile defense system proposed for deployment in Czech Republic and Poland is to deter nuclear attack on the United States by Iran and North Korea
Missoula, Feb. 14 (Al-Masakin)—The U.S. State Department’s number three and senior career diplomat Under Secretary for Political Affairs, William J. Burns said at an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax on Friday that Washington’s new missile defense system proposed for possible deployment in the Czech Republic and in Poland is not intended to pressure the Russian Federation, but to deter a possible nuclear strike on America by Iran or North Korea.
In the interview provided to Al-Masakin by the State Department via e-mail Under Secretary Burns said, “We have certainly heard Russia’s concerns about missile defense. We hope also that Russians understand that no U.S. President can afford a situation where the United States is vulnerable to potential nuclear weapons on missiles from North Korea or Iran.”
When asked if the plan for deploying the system would be revised if the nuclear problem with Iran and North Korea were resolved, Burns said “that is certainly one of the factors that we will consider.”
The Under Secretary would not confirm that the proposed deployment was connected to the renegotiation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) which will expire this year. The renegotiation of the START treaty with the Russian Federation is being Fast Tracked by the new administration. Both President Obama and Vice President Biden have said that they seek to “reset” relations with Russia.
“In recent years, often times mutual frustration has tended to obscure our mutual interests. We believe it’s time to look ahead. That doesn’t mean that we won’t have differences and disagreements from time to time; what it means is that we are committed to trying to take advantage of this moment of opportunity and of the common interests between us. What we need to do now together is to try to translate those good intentions and that positive rhetoric into practical progress that serves the interest not only of the United States and Russia but of the rest of the world.
“One clear, concrete example is nuclear cooperation. That is an area where the United States and Russia have unique capabilities and unique responsibilities. The U.S. and Russia together possess 95 percent of the world’s nuclear arsenal. It’s important for us to set a good example for the rest of the world in how we manage and reduce our own remaining nuclear arsenals; how we work together with other partners to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons; and how to ensure that terrorists are not able to get their hands on such weapons. That is one example of our clear common interest,” Under Secretary Burns told Interfax on Friday
Mr. Burns could not confirm that the Obama administration is seeking to reduce the U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpile by up to 80 percent.
Nuclear proliferation is a national security threat to both nations, but the insinuation that Iran or North Korea are the principal sources of that national security threat does not stand-up to the giggle test.
Clearly the threat to the American homeland, a nuclear strike on American soil, comes primarily from the Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda terrorist networks, not from either Iran or North Korea, for it does not appear likely that Iran has a delivery vehicle for an N-weapon to reach the United States nor does it seem likely that a missile defense system deployed in either Poland or the Czech Republic could intercept a first strike initiated from the DPRK. America’s nuclear stockpile, moreover, stands as a deterrent force to both nations. It is al-Qaeda which remains undeterred by America’s nuclear arsenal.
Renegotiating the START treaty is therefore in America’s national interest for radical Islam has access to the Russian Federations FSB through the volatile Northern Caucasus region. It appears that the proposed missile defense deployment is in reality intended to pressure the Russian Federation to reduce its nuclear stockpile in an effort to gain greater control over fissionable material which is earnestly sought, and may fall into the hands of an exceedingly dangerous terrorist organization which has professed its intention to use such a device should it ever obtain one.
“These are issues – arms control, further reductions, the control of the proliferation of nuclear materials, which President Obama takes very seriously,” the Under Secretary said on Friday.
Mr. Burns also said that the administration had not made a final decision as to whether or not to deploy the missile system and suggested that such a deployment might also be of mutual benefit to the Russian Federation, because Russia in a member of NATO.
“As we pursue the issue of missile defense, we obviously have to take into account a number of factors: whether the system works, and whether it is cost effective; the nature of the threat, and if, through strong diplomacy with Russia and our other partners, we can reduce or eliminate that threat, it obviously shapes the way that we look at missile defense. We are also open to the possibility of cooperation with Russia and with our NATO partners on new missile defense configurations which can take advantage of assets which each of us have. We want to consult with Russia and with our NATO partners to see if we can’t develop cooperative approaches to missile defense which protect all of us,” Mr. Burns said.
The United States and the Russian Federation will discuss economic issues April 2 at the G-20 summit in London. START negotiations are likely to begin at the NATO summit in Strasbourg later that month.
EHC / EHC
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World diplomats at Islamabad conference commit to changing Western perceptions of Islam
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/04/18568096.php
World diplomats at Islamabad conference ‘Future of Change’ commit to changing Western perceptions of Islam
Iranian Envoy Recounts Major Muslims Concerns
Criticizing some Western countries’ stance toward Muslims and linking them to terrorism, Shakeri said in a seminar dubbed as ‘Future Agenda of Change, Role for the Muslim World’ in Islamabad, that Muslims believe that the war on terror is for crushing them.
He noted that another reason for Muslims’ concern is that the West resists against recognition of Islamic countries’ changes, including what happened in Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
He also described major powers’ unilateralism in South Asia and the Middle East as another cause for Muslims’ concerns.
The Iranian diplomat also expressed hope that US President Barack Obama’s policies regarding Muslims would be different from those of Bush, and said Iran would positively respond to any change by the new US administration.
Reminding the world nations’ hatred for war and bloodshed, he urged the new US administration to work on democracy and peace and respect Muslims.
In international relations, war is not the solution to problems, the Iranian diplomat reiterated.
Ambassadors of Islamic countries ask Obama to address root causes of terrorism
Islamabad, Feb. 4 (APP)—Muslim world is hopeful of a change in US policy towards the Islamic world with arrival of the Obama administration, said ambassadors of prominent Islamic countries. Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Ali S. Awadh Assery, Ambassador of Syria Riad Hussain Ismat, Ambassador of Iran Masha’s Allah Shakeri, Ambassador of Iraq Kais Shbhi Al-Yacoubi and diplomats of Morocco and Nigeria agreed that election of President Obama points towards long desired change.
They were speaking at a roundtable conference on “Islam and the West and future agenda of change” held under the auspices of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) here on Tuesday.
Diplomats of Germany, USA, Russia and Japan also spoke on the occasion.
They expressed optimism that President Obama would see the Islamic world with a different perspective and the practice to bracket Islam with terrorism would be stopped. They stressed that the new US administration should seek to root out the real causes of terrorism.
The Saudi Ambassador said the international community should give more funds to Pakistan so that it can be in a better position to counter terrorism and extremism. He said Saudi Arabia has adopted a soft anti-terror policy by integrating and rehabilitating those who got misled and went on the path of terrorism.
The Iranian ambassador spoke about the policies of previous US administration which proved counterproductive. “President Bush spoke enough to the world now the US requires to listen prior to talking,” he added.
He said Iran is waiting to see what change President Obama will bring in its policy towards his country.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated that if Iran witnessed any substantive change in US policy it will be replied positively.
The Iraqi ambassador said miracles should not be expected of Obama administration. He pointed out that Israel has always wasted opportunities to secure permanent peace in the Middle East.
He said Islam is about peace and co-existence and the Muslims want that when they extend the hand of cooperation, the outside world should reciprocate in a spirit which promotes unity and harmony.
Speaking on the occasion, a representative of embassy of Japan said idea of co-existence should be promoted to strengthen relations between Islam and the West. He said quest for achieving peace in the world is a laudable initiative taken by the Council of Islamic Ideology.
A representative of Russian embassy said today’s world is interdependent and there is a need for understanding each others point of view on issues.
He said, “Russia as observer at OIC, wants to build good relations with OIC and its member countries including Pakistan.”
He said Russia gives due respect to Muslim Ummah and its proof is that in Russia there are 4750 mosques among 10,000 places of worship.
Katrina, representative of the embassy of Germany appreciated the role of participants in pointing out the problems faced by the Muslim countries and said the issues needed to be addressed in a spirit of reconciliation. She said more than six million Muslims are living a peaceful and respectable life in Germany. She underlined the need for resolving issues through negotiations and by giving due respect to each other.
A representative of the US embassy said people in America believe in the idea of change, adding “America is a land of Christians and Muslims. We need to work together and understand each others point of view.” More than eight million Muslims are living in America.
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi said Islam is a religion of peace and it does not believe in taking lives of innocent people.
“Bloodshed and suicide attacks have nothing to do with Islam,” he said and added there are some hidden hands who are carrying out such activities to defame Muslims. He said religious seminaries have vital role in Muslim society as these are source of producing useful citizens.
Minister of State for Religious Affairs Shagufta Jumani expressed the hope that the conference will prove to be a good effort to bridge gap between civilizations and religions.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, who conducted the conference, said such interaction would help bridge gap between Islam and the west.
He said recommendations of participants of the meeting would be compiled and forwarded to the government.
He said the election of US President has created cautious optimism and there is hope of reversal of wrong policies of the past.
Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Dr. Khalid Masood in his welcome address said CII is a constitutional body which reviews legislation, presents reports to the government and proposes amendments in laws.
He said the Council had almost completed the process of reviewing all existing laws in the country to bring them in line with the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
Fars / APP / EHC
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UNESCO hosts international seminar on women journalists in Moscow
UNESCO hosts Moscow seminar on women journalists in post-conflict countries
UNESCO is co-organizing an International seminar, “Women Journalists – Experiences of Building Peace Communication in Post Conflict Countries”, to be held at the Central House of Journalists, in Moscow, Russian Federation, on 2-3 February.
The seminar aims to collect and analyze international experiences of women journalists working in post conflict zones and to design an international strategy of peace communication, based on cooperation between media professionals and human rights NGOs. It will also seek to create a network of women journalists covering conflict and post conflict regions.
The keynote speaker at the event will be Gloria Steinem (USA), journalist, and leader of the U.S. women’s rights movement, who will discuss the role of women journalists around the world in covering conflict. Other speakers will include: artist and photo designer Umida Akhmedova from Uzbekistan, Russian journalist Victoria Ivleva from a weekly Novaya Gazeta and Khaskhuu Naranjargal from Mongolia-based NGO Globe International who will present a female perspective on the visual representations of tragedy.
Some other topics on the agenda of the seminar include: experiences of female journalists and representatives of civil and peacekeeping organizations; female journalists against the language of animosity; experience of creating world communications in post-conflict zones; perspectives of forming an international coalition of female journalists to cover building peace after conflict; and experience of international organizations in creating stable informational strategies to protect peace and responsible journalism. The participants will also discuss the work of the coalition and identify priorities for the future.
The seminar, bringing together 24 participants from 16 different countries,* is organized by the Glasnost Defense Foundation with support from the UNESCO Moscow Office and the International Federation of Journalists.
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* Belgium, Croatia, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Russia, Sweden, Senegal, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan
- Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
- Source:Media Advisory 2009-03
- 03-02-2009
Russian television crew filming separation barrier detained by Israel
 Russian TV crew held by Israeli soldiers; prevented from filming separation wall for “security reasons”
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PACE mum as the world stands agape over Israeli atrocities in Gaza
The Parliamentary Council of Europe (PACE) mum as the world stands agape over Israeli atrocities in Gaza
MISSOULA, MT Jan. 30 (Al-Masakin)—The world is holding its breath awaiting comment by The Parliamentary Council of Europe (PACE) on the recent war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Though the Council placed Gaza on its Agenda to be debated Jan. 29, and acknowledged yesterday that such a debate had taken place, the official news center for the organization has not as yet disclosed the results of that discussion besides releasing a startlingly laconic statement on Thursday which said little more than:
“PACE can offer its political know-how to try to ease daily life for the populations of the two parties in conflict,” said Göran Lindblad (Sweden, EPP/CD) in Strasbourg today, opening a current affairs debate on the situation in Gaza. He highlighted the need for a change of attitude by the two parties to try to work out a just and lasting peace, including “recognition of secure borders”. As rapporteur, he said the Parliamentary Assembly’s Sub-Committee on the Middle East would pursue its efforts in support of the peace process.
Whereas PACE made it clear on Jan. 27 that it seeks expanded powers of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and resoundingly condemned the ‘climate of impunity’ surrounding murders of several members of the Press and human rights activists in the Russian Federation, including the Jan. 19 assassination of human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and Indy journalist for Novaya Gazeta Anastasiya Baburova, the body has remained silent on Israeli attacks on the media during the recent Gaza assault in which four journalist were murdered, two detained, and, among other things, the Reuters Bureau and the NBC headquarters were assaulted, all of which caused the International News Safety Institute (INSI) to publish a Jan. 15 ‘News Safety Alert for Gaza,’ and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) along with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to roundly declare that Israel was deliberately targeting the media.
This is of course to pass over the grim statistics of those killed and injured, the assaults on at least 27 Muslim houses of worship, and the use of banned weapons on civilians such as White Phosphorus, Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME), Depleted Uranium, dart weapons, and more.
Whereas PACE appears to be so committed to the theory of Universal Jurisdiction unto the prosecution of those who have targeted media personnel elsewhere, it stands to reason that the Council should now take the lead in demanding War Crimes trials for a number of Israeli officials.
EHC/EHC
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Al-Masakin News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/
Parliamentary Council of Europe (PACE) calls for greater cooperation with the ICC
Parliamentary Council of Europe (PACE) calls for greater cooperation with the ICC, ‘the vigorous prosecution of crimes against journalists and political activists,’ and for America to ratify the ICC’s Rome Statute
In the of resolution 1645 adopted on Tuesday the Council said, inter alia, that it “stresses the importance it attaches to the safety of journalists and political activists, especially those linked to opposition groups, in all member states of the Council of Europe.
“Crimes against journalists and political activists must be investigated by the competent authorities as a matter of priority, without political interference. The authorities must strive to identify not only the actual perpetrators of these crimes but also their instigators and organisers, without regard to the rank and position of the suspects.”
In a separate resolution 1856, adopted today, the Council affirmed, “It invites the Committee of Ministers to continue to follow closely the implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human
Rights in the Gongadze case and to ensure, in cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities, that all necessary investigative measures are speedily carried out, including: the vigorous pursuit of the authentification of the so-called “Melnychenko recordings,” with the participation of foreign experts; the pursuit of other available methods of establishing the authenticity of these recordings, such as the interrogation as witnesses of persons whose voice was allegedly recorded, and comparisons between discussions allegedly recorded and actual events.”
The resolution went on to demand justice in the cases of Georgy Gongadze, General Pukach, Yuriy Kravchenko.
In other news related to the PACE Winter Session, Jan. 26-30, Swiss politician Dick Marty called on the United States to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which aims to punish those who commit genocide, War Crimes, and Crimes Against Humanity.
“The new American administration wishes to break with the past and return to the path of the rule of law,” said Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE), former PACE rapporteur on the illegal transfer of detainees and secret detentions in Europe, at a press conference today in Strasbourg.
“Some European governments would be well advised to tell the truth before the Washington Post or the New York Times reveal it,” he added. Mr Marty made an urgent appeal to Council of Europe member states to follow the example of Switzerland and Portugal, the only countries that have indicated their willingness to accept prisoners from Guantanamo due to be freed by the United States. Mr. Marty also said that he sincerely hoped that the way the UN Security Council and the EU managed their terrorist “blacklists” would be revised to bring them into line with the basic standards of a country governed by the rule of law.
Lastly, he called on the United States to ratify the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court promptly, “as the ICC will only function properly if all major states take part.”
The United States adheres to the American Service-Members Protection Act in 2002, an act which has been called the “Hague Invasion Act” by employees of the ICC because the United States, through this document, promises to invade Holland if any American government officials or service members are ever indicted there. The the American Service-Members Protection Act authorizes the President to use “all means necessary and appropriate” to bring about the release from captivity of U.S. or Allied personnel detained or imprisoned against their will by or on behalf of the ICC.
Although the United States supports the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY, 1993); US law specifically prohibits any United States Court or any government agency from cooperating with the ICC (1998).
The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) also deplored the ‘climate of impunity’ in the Chechen Republic citing the recent assassinations of Human Rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and freelance Indy reporter Anastasiya Baburova in broad daylight in Moscow Jan. 19, only a few yards from the Kremlin, and Chechen refugee Umar Israilov in Vienna Jan. 13.
The Council adopted the following statement this morning.
“Following the recent spate of murders and disappearances of a lawyer, a journalist, a witness and other critics of, in particular, the regime of the President of the Chechen Republic, the committee urges the competent authorities in Moscow and Vienna to carry out full inquiries and to prosecute the killers as well as the instigators and organizers of these crimes.
Stanislav Markelov, gunned down in Moscow on [19] January 2009, was a courageous human rights lawyer. He represented, inter alia, the injured parties in the cases of Colonel Yuri Budanov, Sergey Lapin (a policeman found guilty of torture), Mokhmadsalakh Masayev (who disappeared in Chechnya in the summer of 2008 after accusing the Chechen authorities of having subjected him to secret detention and torture) as well as several victims of members of fascist groups.
Anastasiya Baburova, who died shortly after being shot alongside Stanislav Markelov, was a young journalist with Novaya Gazeta, who had reported on Markelov’s work.
Umar Israilov, a Chechen refugee who was murdered on 13 January 2009 in Vienna, had made an application to the European Court of Human Rights, in which he accused Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov of being personally involved in serious human rights violations, including torture.
The committee deplores the climate of impunity which reigns in the Chechen Republic, which the Assembly has highlighted in several reports on the human rights situation in this region (Docs. 10774 and AS/Jur (2008) 21). It is concerned that this is now spilling over beyond the borders of the North Caucasus region, threatening outspoken journalists, lawyers and others in Moscow and even in other countries in which they have been granted asylum.
In a series of recent judgments, the European Court of Human Rights held the Russian Federation responsible for a large number of enforced disappearances, arbitrary killings and torture in Chechnya, stressing the absence of any meaningful investigations of these crimes by the competent authorities.
./..
These judgments, and the fresh cases above, urgently require a clear signal from the highest authorities of the Russian state to the effect that perpetrators of such serious human rights violations shall be punished in accordance with the law. The recent pardon of Colonel Yuri Budanov, condemned after several scandal-ridden trials to 10 years in prison in July 2004 for murdering a Chechen girl, and who has become a popular hero to ultra-nationalist and fascist groups in Russia, sends the wrong signal.”
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Al-Masakin News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/
Novaya gazeta farewell to Anastasia Baburova and Stalislav Markelov
Society
A farewell to Anastasia
Yesterday, Friday 23 January, Moscow said farewell to Anastasia Baburova. The ceremony was held at 10.30 am in the hall set aside for such purposes at the capital’s Central Clinical Hospital.
More than one hundred people had filed past the coffin and placed live flowers around her before the end of the funeral service.
The ceremony was opened by Sergei Sokolov, editor in chief of Novaya gazeta. Nastya had died very young but had lived her life to the full, he said, and achieved a great deal. Then her parents said a few words. Eduard and Larisa Baburov recalled what a cheerful little girl Nastya had been. She played chess and took third place in the CIS championships; she took up martial arts; she won places at several colleges and institutes at once. They said how much she had wanted to become a journalist … “If I
had known what you would be doing here I would never have let you go to Moscow,” Larisa Baburova said over the coffin of her only daughter.
Her friends recalled the Nastya they knew. She never let anyone down, was never afraid and had great inner strength. Many did not hide their tears. Her friends from the anti-fascist movement talked of their other comrades who had died at the hands of Russia’s neo-Nazis: Alexander Ryukhin, Timur Kacharava and Alexei Krylov.
A little later a delegation arrived at the hospital from the Russian Union of Journalists. They carried a large wreath of fresh flowers and expressed their condolences to Nastya’s parents. The honorary president of the journalism faculty Yasen Zasursky was also present. “It is becoming ever more dangerous to pursue the profession of journalism,” he told journalists in the foyer. “How outrageous and unjust that the victim of this cold-blooded killer was a young woman.” The dean of the Moscow University faculty of journalism Yelena Vartanova described Nastya’s work as a student and added that soon, evidently, the faculty would have to add courses in self-defence to its training programme. One of the last to come and bid farewell to Nastya was Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of the Russian environmental protection agency.
People were still filing past the coffin as the ceremony came to an end. By 2 pm only relatives and Nastya’s closest friends remained. The distressed anti-fascists smoked on the hospital steps.
On Saturday Nastya’s coffin was transported to her home town of Sebastopol in the Crimea. The funeral takes place on Monday.
PS The students and administration of the faculty of journalism have erected a portrait of Anastasia in front of the entrance. The previous day Victor Sadovnichy, rector of Moscow University, placed flowers in front of her picture.
Nadejda Prusenkova
27.01.2009
Moscow says farewell to Stanislav Markelov
At his family’s request, there were no speeches at Stanislav’s funeral on Friday, 23 January.
The Ostankino graveyard was filled with a taciturn crowd. Tears and whispers…The kiosk sold out of flowers. Those who had come to say a last goodbye had difficulty reaching the coffin: it was surrounded by a tightly-packed ring of TV cameramen and photographers.
“Stas was our only lawyer for criminal cases,” said Irina Bergalieva. She heads an association for those living in dormitories in the capital and the surrounding Moscow Region. “He halted one illegal eviction and six other such decisions were pending. I don’t know who is going to defend us now.”
Each person at the graveside threw a handful of earth into the grave. The grave-diggers hardly had any work left to do at the end.
Elena Kostyuchenko
our special correspondent
27.01.2009
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Al-Masakinn News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/
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26 January 2009 –The head of the United Nations agency tasked with upholding press freedom condemned the killings of journalists and a lawyer in Russia and Venezuela, underscoring that these murders are a contravention of human rights.Journalist Anastasia Baburova and human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov were shot dead on 19 January while having a conversation outside a Moscow metro station. Mr. Markelov, who had just given a press conference, is believed to have been the target of the attack. Ms. Baburova worked for Novaya Gazeta, the same newspaper as investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, who was assassinated in 2006.
Also slain in Russia recently was Shafiq Amrakhov, owner and editor of the online regional news agency RIA 51 in Murmansk in the country’s north-west. He was shot inside his apartment and died six days later.
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Markelov Assassination Tied to Release of Budanov?
Stanislav Markelov (L) and Anastasia Baburova (R)
Mountains of flowers covering fresh bloodstains have become a familiar sign of the times in Moscow. A memorial consisting of bouquets and burning candles was spontaneously erected by people on the place where lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova were murdered on January 19 just a dozen meters from the Kremlin.
A number of Russian news agencies posted on-line video footages depicting how the police officers and people dressed as street cleaners dispersed women who had gathered at the site of the murder and tore down from the walls posters and photos of the two victims with the same humiliating refrain: “This is not a graveyard!” As a result of this standoff with the women, the police apparently agreed to leave the flowers and photos where they were but took down all of the posters. These were homemade leaflets and one of them was a plain sheet of paper with a handwritten question: “Russia, aren’t you ashamed of your henchmen?” (http://kp.ru/daily/24230/430805/).
The Russian daily newspaper Kommersant wrote that the murder produced a popular response that is unusually strong for modern Russia (http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1105928&ThemesID=1026). Protest demonstrations took place simultaneously in several Russian cities. Several thousand Chechens demonstrated in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov posthumously awarded the murdered attorney with the Order “For Services to the Chechen Republic.”
The Russian authorities responded to the outpour of popular anger with methods that have become customary for the current regime. On January 20, police units dispersed a march in Moscow by more than 200 anti-fascist activists to honor the memory of Markelov and Baburova. Dozens of protesters were savagely beaten by OMON riot police and more than fifty were arrested and had to spend the night behind bars. Similar protest actions took place in other districts of Moscow and St. Petersburg (http://file-028.livejournal.com/friends?skip=60).
On January 21, the Communist faction in the State Duma offered to take control over the homicide investigation. It is noteworthy that the communists’ offer was supported by the representatives of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party (http://www.echo.msk.ru/news/567441-echo.html).
Investigators believe that the main target of this double murder was Markelov, while Baburova, a college senior at Moscow State University who was accompanying Markelov after the press conference, turned out to be an accidental victim of the assassin. It should be noted that Baburova was beginning her career as a journalist at the opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Representatives of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, which is in charge of the investigation of this murder, has already stated that Markelov’s assassination could be related to his professional activities (http://www.rian.ru/trend/inquest_murder_lawyer_markelov_19012009/).
One of the main versions voiced almost immediately in the mass media was that the murder was connected to the case of Russian Colonel Yuri Budanov. Budanov’s name resurfaced in the investigation of Markelov’s murder for two reasons. First, the shooting of the lawyer followed the colonel’s early release from prison on January 15. Markelov, who had defended the interests of the family of the Chechen girl that Budanov murdered, publicly criticized the court’s decision and declared his intention to appeal the early release of Budanov to the European Court of Human Rights. He also told the press that he possessed additional facts of crimes committed by Budanov in Chechnya.
The second reason why the murder was immediately tied to the release of the colonel was because of threats that Markelov received several days before his murder. Amnesty International leaked to the press the text of the SMS message Markelov received on his mobile phone on January 14, five days before his death. It read as follows: “You, brainless animal … again sticking your nose into Budanov’s case??!! Idiot, you couldn’t find a calmer method of suicide??? Go quickly to the center of transplantology, and perhaps your innards will be useful there for somebody … at least you won’t die in vain then … and perhaps you will get some money … You really decided to improve this year by relieving us of your presence?” (http://www.izvestia.ru/investigation/article3124512/).
Budanov was initially sentenced to serve 10 years in prison because in March 2000—on his daughter’s birthday—after drinking vodka heavily, he abducted, raped and strangled Elza Kungaeva, an 18-year-old Chechen girl. In the course of the subsequent court proceedings, which lasted three years, Budanov became a principal figure in the Russian-Chechen standoff. On the one hand, Chechens, who suffered thousands of victims similar to Kungaeva and knew of only a few cases in which war criminals were actually punished, hoped that justice would prevail. On the other hand, for the camp of military patriots, including high-ranking officers as well as neo-fascists, Budanov became a Russian hero who had been punished unjustly for honestly serving his homeland. His supporters thought that avenging Budanov was the equivalent of restoring the honor of wearing Russia’s military uniform.
The famous Russian writer and journalist, Yulia Latynina, has convincingly tied Markelov’s assassination to Budanov’s release. She told the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda she was sure the murderers were “fascists” who “killed Markelov for Budanov,” adding that Markelov was “not just a human rights advocate with lawyer’s diploma” but was “also engaged in anti-fascist activities” (http://kp.ru/daily/24229/430211/).
In the meantime Yuri Budanov insisted he had absolutely nothing to do with the double murder. “Rough work … These prosecutors do not have a single chance to implicate me in connection to this incident,” the colonel said in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda (http://kp.ru/daily/24229/430211/).
Budanov also stated that he paid in full for killing Kungaeva and even expressed indignation at the killers of Markelov and Baburova for trying to drive a wedge into Russian-Chechen relations. Coming from Budanov, such statements sound cynical to say the least. It is worth recalling his threats directed against the Kungaev family’s attorney: “I will kill you as soon as I get out of prison, even if it’s ten years from now” (Chechnya Weekly, July 31, 2003).
Meanwhile, leaked details from the investigation indicate that there were no witnesses to the double murder and that there is not even an approximate visual sketch of the assassin, even though the shooting occurred in broad daylight during peak traffic hour at the center of Moscow and close to the entrance to a subway station bustling with people (http://www.echo.msk.ru/news/567441-echo.html).
The opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta featured several articles about the assassination of Markelov and Baburova. Both victims were connected to the newspaper, which has already lost four of its employees, including the famous journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The newspaper also published two interviews with the murdered attorney. One was recorded in 2002 and mostly dealt with the Budanov case, while the second was more recent and taken from Markelov by Baburova.
Baburvoa worked at Novaya Gazeta as a non-staff reporter for only three months. She studied journalism at Moscow State University and investigated the activities of fascist groups. In her blog on Live Journal (http://file-028.livejournal.com), she posted photos and comments from anti-fascist actions and protest demonstrations that she participated in. The on-line postings also included descriptions of incidents in which Baburova was arrested by police and beaten. Thus Baburova’s high level of social activism raises doubt over the presumed randomness of her killing.
In a November 19 posting about the arrest of a well-known anti-fascist leader in Moscow, Aleksei Osimov, Baburova mentioned that Markelov decided to represent Osimov, who was being accused by the authorities of hooliganism for carrying out public actions in Moscow.
Novaya Gazeta noted on January 21 that Markelov’s spectrum of activities was broad. The attorney often took cases that his colleagues considered either absolutely hopeless or extremely dangerous. Markelov worked with the opposition newspaper and cooperated with Anna Politkovskaya very closely. It was Markelov who led the cases that were launched on the basis of investigative materials discovered by Politkovskaya. According to Markelov’s close friend, Chechen human rights defender Natalia Estemirova, it was only because of the personal bravery of Markelov that war criminals were punished (http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2009/005/02.html).
However, thousands of assassins remain at large, Estemirova wrote in an article for Novaya Gazeta. In conclusion, she posed a question that is completely disadvantageous for the Kremlin: “Markelov’s murder is a declaration of war. Now the question is: whose side is the state on?”
St. Petersburg Times: Murders of Lawyer, Journalist Slammed as ‘Political Killings’
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Murders of Lawyer, Journalist Slammed as ‘Political Killings’Staff Writer
More than 150 people gathered in central St. Petersburg on Tuesday to mourn lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, who were murdered in Moscow on Monday, and protest against political killings. Markelov was known for taking on human rights cases and defending left-wing and anti-Nazi activists, while Baburova was also an anarchist and anti-Nazi activist, so a plan for mourners to gather by Bukvoyed book store on Ligovsky Prospekt was quickly hatched on leftist and activist e-mail and Internet forums late Monday, just hours after the two were murdered. The site near the book store was chosen because anti-Nazi activist and musician Timur Kacharava was stabbed to death there by a group of neo-Nazis in 2005. Vigils are held there every Nov. 13 to commemorate the day Kacharava was killed. From there, mourners planned to march to Marsovo Pole (the Field of Mars), the park where victims of the 1917 Russian revolutions and Civil War are buried, and hold a vigil near the eternal flame monument. Although information about the event was distributed only via the Internet and word of mouth, dozens of mourners turned up, from young punks, anarchists and left-wing activists to older human rights activists and sympathizers. By the announced time of 7 p.m. the police were already on the site, with several police vehicles parked next to Bukvoyed. Three young people were reportedly detained at an early point in the gathering. People held flowers, candles and portraits of Markelov and Baburova at the site. But when the mourners tried to move toward Nevsky Prospekt, the city’s main street, at 7:25 p.m, they were blocked by policemen. A policeman with a megaphone warned the mourners that they were blocking the movement of pedestrians on Ligovsky Prospekt and demanded that they leave the site “one by one” and go home. Some protesters replied that it was the police themselves who were blocking the movement of pedestrians. The policemen formed lines on both sides of the gathering, ready to act. However, after 15 minutes of negotiations, mourners were allowed by a police colonel in command to walk along the side streets to Marsovo Pole rather than along Nevsky. They were allowed to carry flowers, but not candles or portraits. An estimated 65 people walked, accompanied by four police vehicles, to Marsovo Pole, while some used city buses to get to the site. Some activists distributed leaflets as they walked. The mourners arrived at the eternal flame at 8:20 p.m., where some 40 people were already present. The mourners stood silently around the flame, holding photographs, flowers and candles, until Vladimir Plotnikov of the left-wing group Rabocheye Deistviye (Workers’ Action) made a speech describing the killings as “state terror” against left-wing activists. According to Plotnikov, the killings were a continuation of the attacks on newspaper editor Mikhail Beketov and left-wing activist Carine Clement in Moscow and Ford Plant trade union leader Alexei Etmanov in St. Petersburg in November. “We were saying, ‘They will start killing us soon’ then, but with a laugh, disbelieving – but now they really are killing us,” he said, before declaring a minute’s silence in remembrance of Markelov and Baburova. Later in the evening, around 10 p.m., between 20 and 25 punks and anarchists marched under a black flag from Sennaya Ploshchad to Marsovo Pole in protest against the murders, according to the Indymedia anarchist website. The police were not aware of the march and did not intervene in the protest. Moscow prosecutors, who are yet to make any arrests or offer a concrete motive in the double killing, on Wednesday questioned colleagues and searched offices that Markelov had used, the Associated Press reported. Moscow police chief Vladimir Pronin told a news conference Wednesday that the authorities had little evidence. “All the investigation has to go on is the data from video cameras,” Pronin said, Interfax reported. The killings were condemned by international rights organizations. “Freedom House is outraged by these cold-blooded murders which reflect the impunity that exists in Russia today,” said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director, in a statement issued on Wednesday. “Responsible critics of the government appear to be fair game for contract assassins in a political climate in which Russian authorities have abdicated their responsibilities for protecting these important voices.” The Russian Foreign Ministry reacted by saying that Baburova was an “innocent victim of the situation,” while, according to the latest information, it was Markelov who was targeted, ITAR-TASS reported on Thursday. “The tragic events connected with the death of a journalist are starting to get artificially politicized and used, with dishonest intentions, to discredit Russia and adjusted to the previously developed concept of the lack of freedom of the press in the Russian Federation [and the] persecution of journalists,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry official was quoted by the agency as saying. Neither Russian President Dmitry Medvedev or Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have commented publicly on the killings. |
Russia Today: Murdered lawyer and journalist remembered
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January 23, 2009, 18:27
Murdered lawyer and journalist remembered
The funeral of a lawyer gunned down in broad daylight on a Moscow street has been held in the capital. A memorial service for the journalist killed in the same attack has also taken place.
Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova were shot dead on Monday shortly after they left a p
ress conference. Markelov had been briefing the media on the early release of a Russian colonel jailed for 10 years in 2003 for murdering a young Chechen woman.
To watch the funeral please follow the link.
It was one of several controversial cases taken on by Markelov.
He had defended the interests of the Cehchen woman’s family in court, and had appealed against the colonel’s early release.
A civil memorial service for Novaya Gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova was also held in Moscow. She will be buried in her home city of Sevastopol in Ukraine.
To watch the memorial service, please follow the link.
On Thursday, a rally was held in the centre of the Russian capital to remember Markelov and Baburova. About 70 
people gathered on Pushkinskaya Square, holding posters reading “Russia Without Violence!” “Two More Victims of Budanov Case”.
They were killed near Kropotkinskaya metro station in the centre of Moscow on January 19. Markelov died of wounds on the spot and 25-yearl-old journalism student Baburova died several hours later in hospital. She was working for for Novaya Gazeta.
Markelov, a well-known human rights activist and the director of the Institute of Supremacy of Law in Moscow, defended the rights of the Kungayev family, whose daughter Elza was killed by Colonel Yuri Budanov in Chechnya in 2000.
Budanov, recently released from prison, said he had nothing to do with the murder.
“That’s a base provocation with which I have nothing to do. Someone’s trying to drive a wedge between Russians and Chechens,” Budanov said in an interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda paper.
“Nobody will give me back the years I spent in prison; it was the hardest penalty,” he added.
A criminal investigation into the murder of Markelov and Baburova is under way.
Moscow police say journalists do not need weapons
Moscow police chief says journalists have no need for guns
23/01/2009 15:53 MOSCOW, January 23 (RIA Novosti) – The Moscow police chief said on Friday that he was against granting journalists permission to carry arms.
“I don’t think we need to give journalists weapons. Law enforcement agencies must ensure their safety,” Vladimir Pronin told RIA Novosti.
His comments came after the co-owner of Russia’s Novaya Gazeta newspaper said the paper planned to submit applications to the authorities for arms permits for its staff.
“If you are unable to ensure our security, let our journalists carry firearms,” Alexander Lebedev said.
Novaya Gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova was shot dead in the center of Moscow on Monday by a gunman who also killed Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer who had taken on a number of controversial cases in Russia.
A number of other Novaya Gazeta journalists have also been murdered in recent years, including Anna Politkovskaya, the Kremlin critic whose investigations of human rights abuses by federal troops in Chechnya had won her acclaim in the West. Politkovskaya was gunned down in her apartment building in 2006.
“In the event of journalists being threatened with danger, we have a scheme under which their safety can be assured,” the police chief added. “The more weapons there are, the more disorder there is.”
Russia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Reporters Without Borders, an international press freedom organization, has said that 21 journalists were murdered in the country between 2000 and 2007.
Novaya Gazeta’s: Nastya
By Ilia Donskykh
MOSCOW, Jan. 23 (Novaya Gazeta)—Nastya Baburova rang me sometime in mid-October last year. “Can I come to the paper to work?”
“Of course. What’s up? Did they sack you?”
“No, it’s just I want to be somewhere you can write normally…”
It was then that we began to hear about the new Tesak case and the trial of the Ryno-Skachevsky band, which targeted foreigners and migrant workers, was just beginning, on 2 December they were found guilty of 20 murders.
So Nastya’s appearance was heaven-sent. She already knew the subject perfectly. Without exaggeration I can say that there are few people in all Russia who knew as much about our neo-Nazis, our anti-fascist movement and youth organizations, as she did. It was not, perhaps, so much a matter of knowledge and skills either.
The majority of Russia’s professional journalists would have reacted dismissively: fascists, anti-fascists—don’t we have enough crazy people already? But Nastya
realized that we must discuss and cover such themes.
Anastasia Baburova was in the year ahead of me at the Moscow University faculty of journalism. Nastya was also older than her classmates, however. She had come to Moscow from Sebastopol in the Crimea and first got a place at the prestigious Moscow Institute for International Relations. Soon she decided, however, that her future did not lie in diplomacy and transferred to us.
Nastya studied for four and a half years at the university’s journalism faculty. And that speaks well of our teachers.
I won’t describe how we felt on Monday: students, journalists and all of us. “It can’t be true”, “it’s impossible” were words repeated again and again in half-hearted conversations. Probably this is the most terrible event I can recall. Because there’s no one to answer the questions—Why? What for? We are the ones who must find the answers.
Our last conversation was shortly before the New Year. Novaya Gazeta had already closed for the vacation period and everyone was getting ready for the holidays: New Year, Christmas.
“Hi. I’ve got an article here. It’s very short.”
“Nastya, nobody’s at work now. It’s vacation time.”
“I understand that but someone must read it. It can’t wait.”
Al-Masakin News Agency
CPJ’s May 2007 report on three earlier Novaya Gazeta murders
Anya’s Paper: CPJ Special Report
In a country where 80 percent of the public gets its news from state-controlled television, Novaya’s dogged coverage of social and political issues has won it devoted readers and passionate enemies. Two of its top journalists have been assassinated and a third has died under mysterious circumstances in the past six years; all reported on risky topics before their deaths. In the face of such peril, it would have been natural for the paper to tone down its tough coverage. But resilience has long been a trademark of Novaya, known by many these days as “Anya’s paper.”
Persuading prosecutors to investigate the mysterious death of Deputy Editor Yuri Shchekochikhin has been more challenging. “We recently received yet another denial from the prosecutor general’s office to our appeal,” Izmailov says.
Novaya Deputy Editor Sergei Sokolov, a tall, thin man with an energetic manner, works long hours investigating Politkovskaya’s murder, as well as other Russian journalist murders. In Novaya, he has pressed authorities to report publicly where they are holding the convicted killer of Sovetskaya Kalmykiya Segodnya Editor Larisa Yudina, slain in June 1998 in the southern Russian republic of Kalmykiya. “Neither the prosecutor’s office nor the justice ministry would answer a simple question for us: Where is the culprit being held? They tell us they have him. So where is he?” he asks.
Politkovskaya, who seemed energized by public apathy, addressed this in the prologue to her 2002 book, A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya: “People call the newspaper and send letters with one and the same question: ‘Why are you writing about this? Why are you scaring us? Why do we need to know this?’ I’m sure this has to be done, for one simple reason: As contemporaries of this war, we will be held responsible for it. The classic Soviet excuse of not being there and not taking part in anything personally won’t work. So I want you to know the truth. Then you’ll be free of cynicism.”Press Credential
About the publisher
Al-Masakin News Agency is an amateur news website maintained by Edward H. Campbell former correspondent to the Tehran Times, The Muslim Observer, and current contributor to Independent Media. Al-Masakin is committed to publishing suppessed or hidden news stories from the Middle East, Central Asia, other items of interest to journalists and reporters, what you should have learned but prehaps did not.
Content on this page does not necessarily indicate endorsement of any particular cause. Freedom of the press is itself my cause, for censorship is, and through that, thought control, the principle weapons against the masses of those in power who seek to remain there, your ignorance is their power; for what cannot be thought cannot be done.
Edward Campbell, aside from being a reporter, and having written extensively on a great number of contemporary topics, is a former foreign language student, a Classicist, and is the author of several manuscripts on Roman history.
Works by E. H. Campbell
- Discontents at Rome: 63 B.C.: Class struggle and social praxis in republican Rome (a magnum opus)
- Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae: A new translation with text and commentary
- The Spartacus Rebellion, from Appian’s Civil Wars: A new translation with text and commentary
Languages Studied: English, Spanish, Russian, Latin, and Greek, with nominal experience in Arabic and Turkish
Foreign experience: Argentina, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Palestine
Contact: edward.h.campbell [at] gmail.com
Webpages owned by the author
- Al-Masakin News Agency http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/
- Inopibus Press: Seattle http://inopibuspressseattle.blogspot.com/
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