Today, it has been twenty years since Anna Politkovskaya was killed. The European Union honours the memory of Anna Politkovskaya, the journalist and human rights defender murdered in Moscow on 7 October 2006.
Through her investigative reporting for Novaya Gazeta, she exposed grave human rights violations, torture and extrajudicial punishment, corruption, and abuse of power. She gave a voice to victims and challenged official accounts, despite repeated threats and intimidation. Her work showed how impunity and the erosion of human rights brutalise society, normalise violence and undermine respect for human dignity. Throughout her work, and despite earlier attempts on her life, Anna Politkovskaya continued to report.
Russian courts convicted six individuals for their involvement in her murder; however, the verdicts did not establish who commissioned the killing. Twenty years on, full accountability remains outstanding. The European Union reiterates its call for an effective, independent and transparent investigation that brings all those responsible to justice. The presidential pardon granted to Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, one of those convicted, following his participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine, raises questions about accountability.
Today, Anna Politkovskaya’s legacy has acquired renewed significance as repression within Russia has deepened alongside its war of aggression against Ukraine. The suppression of independent journalism and civil society by the authorities enables justification of further violence, suppresses criticism of Russia’s war and seeks to justify censorship and repression. It reflects a persistent disregard by the Russian authorities for human rights, human life and the rule of law.
The European Union supports and stands in solidarity with Russian independent journalists and human rights defenders who, like Anna Politkovskaya, continue her work, often at great personal risk. We call on Russia to fulfil its international human rights obligations, to end the persecution of those who expose abuses and speak out against war, and to release all political prisoners.