The Supreme Court in Moscow has ordered a new investigation into the murder of Novaya gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya. The outspoken critic of Russia’s actions in Chechnya was murdered in October 2006.
Read more here
Anna Politkovskaya’s family is to appeal against a judge’s rejection of its request for the case against three alleged accomplices to be sent back to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation in conjunction with the investigation into all other people suspected of a role in her murder. The family’s request for a postponement for the purposes of combined further investigation was backed by both defence lawyers and prosecutors. Read more here
Akhmed Gisayev, a Memorial employee who had been working with Natalia Estemirova to investigate a sensitive human rights case in the days before her murder in July has experienced a series of menacing events in the past days and weeks. Gisayev, who lives in the Chechen capital, Gronzy, has reported being stopped by armed men in the street, having his flat searched and being under constant surveillance by security services. Read more here
Rosa Malsagova, editor-in-chief of the website Ingushetiya.org , has decided to leave her post because of “threats made to her by militants”. This followed an item entitled “Mujahedeen Address to Rosa Malsagova,” which was recently published on a militant site. Malsagova earlier asked for political asylum in France. The site will continue working until her replacement is appointed. Read more here