(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Two years after the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, I want to speak for those who are still alive. This year, I have an extremely strong desire to remember the fates of many people in similar situations.
Here, not all the killings manage to silence Anna Politkovskaya's voice, views and deeds or take away her charm from friends' memories. For me personally, Anna is one of the few who will never cease to exist. She is with us and alive through her articles and through the grandson named after her. Even the hatred of those hiding behind statements about Anna's "insignificance" and how she is "damaging to the positive image of Putin's Russia" cannot ruin Anna's voice.
At the same time, I can not fully accept this symbol-oriented legacy towards a person who often felt lonely and at times marginalized by being called "too eager", "too radical", "too involved" and not very "diplomatic" – in contrast to the great the masses who want a balance in life rather than calling for change. She was often listened to without being heard. The responsibility lies with those who could do something to stop Russia's shift from autocracy to the despotism of today by calling the developments in Putin's Russia by their proper names.
No investigation
Anna wanted to live, utilizing life to the fullest as a gifted person can, continuing her often desperate attempts to help those who did not enjoy the same public recognition as her. The number of such increases very rapidly. More and more people are being killed. For these victims' families, there is no hope that the deaths will ever be investigated, much less that the perpetrators are brought to justice. People are arrested and imprisoned for fabricated charges, and more and more are being subjected to psychiatric forced treatment. They are accused of supporting terrorism and betraying Russia, in the same way that public organizations for survivors of the Beslan tragedy (Voice of Beslan) and the North-East Theater in Moscow became.
Magomed Yevloev, who owns an independent, Ingush website, was killed in police custody on August 31, 2008. The killing screams for a neutral investigation to ensure that the circumstances of his death are clarified and that those responsible for his death are prosecuted. and brought before the court by law. Nevertheless, this insane, extrajudicial execution, which sheds light on the day, was declared "death by accident." On October 6, another Ingush insurgent leader was killed when Akhmed Kotijev's car was shot at. Fortunately, the bullets did not hit him – this time.
On July 25, 2008, Zurab Tsetsyuev, who worked for the human rights organization Masht ("peace") in Ingushetia, was abducted from his home in the Ingush town of Troitskaya by armed men suspected of being federal police officers. A few hours later, he was found on the roadside just off Magas, the capital of Ingushetia, with serious injuries. He had to be hospitalized. Is there any hope that those who did this against Zurab Tsetsyuev will be identified and prosecuted? Much depends on the kind of response the Russian authorities receive from the world community on such matters, and whether this response is limited to mild rhetoric and expressions of concern.
Late at night, August 1, 2008, someone must have tried to set fire to the apartment of human rights defender Dmitry Krajukhnin from the city of Orel in southwestern Russia. The fire gunners allegedly also tried to block the front door. Fortunately, Krajukhnin was not in the apartment, but relatives of him who were there managed to notify the fire department in time. So far, as far as Amnesty International is aware, no investigation has been initiated in this case, as the authorities believe that the damage caused is too insignificant that an investigation is required. However, this is not the only threat to Dmitry Krajukhnin known.
On August 14, 2008, unknown assailants threw a brick through the window of the apartment where human rights activist Stanislav Dmitrijevsky lives in Nizhny Novgorod. Luckily no one was hurt. At the same time, the entrance door to the city courtyard was flooded with obscene words and threats to Dmitryevsky. In fact, the entire door was covered with a crosshair. Although an investigation has been initiated into this case, I doubt it will proceed. Both Stanislav and I have been investigating several murder threats against us in recent years, to no avail. A number of different investigators have told me: "You have to understand ... the circumstances. We have no way of finding out who is behind the threats. ”
Faithful servants
They do not have the opportunity, because they will not. They are afraid to speak on their own behalf. For they are not lords over themselves and their own words. They stand ready to execute every order they receive, as faithful servants to their master.
Therefore, to influence them lies in your hands. They should be put under the moral pressure of all people with good will. They should know that they will never be accepted and welcome outside Russia's borders when they are so clear and willing to obey orders.
They should know that not even the properties they buy in Finland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Montenegro, the Czech Republic or Slovakia will make them their neighbors. They should know that not everything can be bought, however rich they may be. They should know that you have honor and dignity and that you are ready to stand on yours. They should be condemned and shamed.
Oksana Chelysheva is a Russian journalist and human rights defender.
Translated by Ingrid Sande Larsen
