Former Russian detective Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, convicted of the 2006 murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, has been pardoned by President Putin for fighting in Ukraine. The news was confirmed to AFP by his lawyer. “As a special forces fighter, he was invited to sign a contract to participate in the special military operation. When the contract expired, he was pardoned by presidential decree,” said his lawyer Alexei Mikhalchik.
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Who was Anna Politkovskaya?
Particularly active on the human rights front, Anna Politkovskaya is best known for her reports on the second Chechen war and for her sharp criticism of the Russian armed forces and governments under the presidency of Vladimir Putin, which are accused of not respecting civil rights and the rule of Russia Law.
On October 7, 2006, she was murdered on her way home in Moscow. His assassination sparked significant international mobilization to clarify the circumstances of his murder. In June 2014, five Chechen men were sentenced to prison for murder without the perpetrators being identified.
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The murder
Politkovskaya was found dead in the elevator of her building in Moscow on October 7, 2006. The police found a Makarov pistol with four cartridge cases next to the body; One of the bullets fired hit her in the head. The trail of premeditated murder by a contract killer was then followed. Although those responsible have not been identified, many have pointed the finger at President Putin. The date of the attack coincides, among other things, with the Russian president’s birthday.
The following day, Russian police confiscated Politkovskaya’s computer and all material from the journalist’s investigation. On October 9, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov said that Politkovskaya would publish a long article on torture by Chechen security forces in connection with Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov on the day of her murder. Muratov added that two photos were also missing; The banknotes, which had not yet been confiscated, were published in the newspaper on October 9th.
The funeral took place on October 10 at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow. More than a thousand people took part in the funeral service, including colleagues and simple admirers of the journalist. His tombstone depicts a newspaper riddled with bullets, a sign of his great commitment to discovering the truth. Among those present at the funeral was the radical political leader Marco Pannella, a personal friend of Politkovskaya. No representative of the Russian government was present.