Tuesday, June 7, 2011

This Week in the News

On Thursday June 2, 2011 the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (Sledstvennyi komitet Rossiiskoi Federatsii) announced the indictment of Rustam Makhmudov, the suspected gunman in the 2006 murder of Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya. Makhmudov was detained in Chechnya on Tuesday May 31, after nearly five years on Interpol’s wanted list. The announcement made by the Investigative Committee was welcomed by members of the international community and the Russian press. Ambassador of the United States to Russia John Beyrle commented on his Livejournal that the arrest of Makhmudov was “certainly good news,” because the Politkovskaya murder had become “a symbol of the high price that journalists around the world, especially in Russia, pay for an honest and compelling investigative journalism to resonate in society.” Makhmudov’s indictment brings the investigation closer to identifying those individuals who organized or ordered Politkovskaya’s murder, especially after the acquittal of three defendants: Moscow Directorate for Combating Organized Crime officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and Chechen brothers Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov; in February 2009. The official report from the Investigative Committee stated, “To date, the evidence [against Makhmudov] is sufficient to prove his guilt in the crime.” The Committee is continuing its investigation of Makhmudov’s role in Politkovskaya’s murder as it searches for and collects more hard evidence to build the case while also attempting to establish and detain any other associates that may have played a role in Politkovskaya’s murder.

While Makhmudov’s indictment is a crucial step in the criminal investigation of Politkovskaya’s murder it does not end this chapter of judicial impunity in post-Soviet Russian history. Politkovskaya’s murder is one of numerous others that typify the most brutal trend in post-Soviet Russian censorship: the killing of journalists who have reported on politically-sensitive topics. Politkovskaya’s coverage of the wars in Chechnya shed light on the darker aspects of Russian military actions in the North Caucasus and was critical of Vladimir Putin’s presidency, accusing him and the FSB of limiting civil liberties and repressing oppositional sentiments by any means necessary. Though the verdict is still out vis-à-vis specifics of involvement in Politkovskaya’s murder, the actions taken against her have been echoed in twelve other murders and numerous instances of harassment. While the motives behind a number of these murders remain unconfirmed and the perpetrators are still at large, the role of the Kremlin in this most brutal form of censorship remains undefined.

The perpetuation of “vicious” actions against oppositional voices in Russian society has observers, such as Pavel Felgenhauer, wary of the future of the Kremlin’s actions, especially as Putin continues to build and assert a “vertical of power.” Russia appears on track to plunge into “a system of personalized authoritarian rule,” in Felgenhauer’s assessment, which Putin has been cultivating since 1999 as the leader of the United Russia party (Edinaia Rossiia), and will continue to build through the All-Russian People’s Front (Obshcherossiiskiy narodniy front, ONF; official website found here). As election season warms up in the Russian Federation the ONF and United Russia will make for interesting analysis amid the rumors surfacing about the potential competition between Putin and President Dmitri Medvedev. Furthermore, if Felgenhauer’s predictions are correct, the 2012 election campaign could mark a drastic change in the Kremlin’s media policy if soft authoritarianism does indeed plunge into totalitarianism.

Articles referred to in this post:

Рустаму Махмудову предъявлено обвинение в убийстве журналистики «Новой газеты» Анны Политковской» (Rustam Makhmudov charged in murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya)

http://www.sledcom.ru/actual/53318/

Suspected gunman indicted in Anna Politkovskaya's murder

http://cpj.org/2011/06/suspected-gunman-indicted-in-anna-politkovskayas-m.php

Махмудову предъявили обвинения в убийстве Политковской (Makhmudov charged in Politkovskaya murder)

http://lenta.ru/news/2011/06/02/mahmudov/

В вине Махмудова не сомневаются (No doubt in the fault of Makhmudov)


Арест Рустама Махмудова хорошая новость (Arrest of Rustam Makhmudov – good news)


Three men acquitted in Politkovskaya murder


Pavel Felgenhauer, “Putin Moves Russia From Authoritarianism to Totalitarianism,” Eurasia Daily Monitor Vol. 8, no. 106


Общероссийский народный фронт (
All-Russian People’s Front)

1 comment:

  1. Patrick, Hi. Good post. Hope to meet with P. Felgenhauer today (I'm currently in Moscow) and will try to have him elaborate on his prognosis.

    ReplyDelete