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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2006
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For more information:
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Letter on Behalf of Russian Journalist Anna Politkovskaya
President Vladimir Putin
c/o U.S. Embassy in Russia
Bolshoy Deviatinsky Pereulok No. 8
Moscow 121099, Russian Federation
PSC-77, APO AE 09721
Fax: +7 (495) 728-5090
Dear President Putin,
We are writing to share our outrage at the murder last Saturday of Anna Politkovskaya, whose work as a journalist made her a heroine to supporters of a worldwide free press.
In 2002, Anna received a Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation in recognition of her reporting on the war in Chechnya. Anna referred to Chechnya as a "living hell." She was fearless in descending into this hell because she was determined that Russians should know the truth about what goes on in their country. Most journalists didn’t even bother to travel to Chechnya when reporting on the conflict. Anna not only traveled to Chechnya, she kept returning, risking her life again and again.
Her life was threatened numerous times, but she still kept reporting what she saw and heard. When the IWMF gave her the Courage in Journalism Award, we referred to her as a “voice that will not be silenced.” In answer, she said, "The courage of a journalist…consists in giving information to the people, much against their will, and make them think about the tragedy that the country is going through, think that this must be stopped."
Even in death, Anna’s voice will not be silenced. Her work touched too many of us for that to happen. She joins many other Russian journalists who have given their lives because they were dedicated to reporting the news.
The International Women’s Media Foundation is a network of more than 4,000 women and men in the media worldwide who support an international free and independent press. President Putin, we urge you to see that Anna Politkovsksaya’s murderers are brought to justice. We urge you to make it safe for all journalists in Russian to report without fear of being killed. If you do less than this, you will send an ominous message to all supporters of free expression around the world.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Clift, co-chair
Larry Olmstead, co-chair
cc: Embassy of the Russian Federation
2650 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20007
Fax: (202) 298-5735
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