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Russia marks 15th anniversary of Politkovskaya's killing

Vladimir Isachenkov

Associated Press

Tags: Government, politics, Anna Politkovskaya, Dmitry Muratov
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A view of a memorial room in the offices of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper which was set to commemorate investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya with a portrait of her on the wall in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Politkovskaya's colleagues sharply criticized the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago, saying the official probe has effectively fizzled. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Members of Reporters Without Borders, stage a demonstration outside the Russian embassy in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, to pay tribute to late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was shot dead on Oct. 7, 2006 in Moscow. Anna Politkovskaya was a prominent journalist at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper who was famous for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya . The day of her death coincidence with the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Placards read, 15 years without Anna and Octobre 7, assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, birthday of Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Members of Reporters Without Borders, stage a demonstration outside the Russian embassy in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, to pay tribute to late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was shot dead on Oct. 7, 2006 in Moscow. Anna Politkovskaya was a prominent journalist at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper who was famous for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya . The day of her death coincidence with the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Placards read, 15 years without Anna and Octobre 7, assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, birthday of Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Activists set up an installation featuring a spent bullet cartridge outside a Moscow apartment building where reporter Anna Politkovskaya was gunned down on Oct. 7, 2006, in Moscow, Russia, early Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Politkovskaya's colleagues sharply criticized the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago, saying the official probe has effectively fizzled. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Colleagues gather in a memorial room in the offices of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper which was set to commemorate investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya with a portrait of her on a computer's screen in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Politkovskaya's colleagues sharply criticized the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago, saying the official probe has effectively fizzled. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Members of Reporters Without Borders, stage a demonstration outside the Russian embassy in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, to pay tribute to late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was shot dead on Oct. 7, 2006 in Moscow. Anna Politkovskaya was a prominent journalist at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper who was famous for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya . The day of her death coincidence with the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Colleagues gather in a memorial room in the offices of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper which was set to commemorate investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya with a portrait of her on a computer's screen in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Politkovskaya's colleagues sharply criticized the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago, saying the official probe has effectively fizzled. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Colleagues of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya are sharply criticizing the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago. Muratov said that the official probe into the killing of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya has failed to track down the mastermind and all but fizzled. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Ballons hang at the gate of the Russian embassy in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, during a demonstration of Reporters Without Borders outside the Russian to pay tribute to late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was shot on Oct. 7, 2006 in Moscow. Anna Politkovskaya was a prominent journalist at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper who was famous for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya . The day of her death coincidence with the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Ballons are picture during a demonstration of Reporters Without Borders outside the Russian embassy in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, to pay tribute to late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was shot on Oct. 7, 2006 in Moscow. Anna Politkovskaya was a prominent journalist at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper who was famous for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya . The day of her death coincidence with the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

A view of a memorial room in the offices of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper which was set to commemorate investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya with a portrait of her on the wall in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Politkovskaya's colleagues sharply criticized the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago, saying the official probe has effectively fizzled. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

MOSCOW – Colleagues of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya on Thursday sharply criticized the Russian authorities for failing to track down the mastermind of her killing 15 years ago, saying the official inquiry has effectively fizzled.

Politkovskaya, who won international acclaim for her reporting on the human rights abuses in the Russian republic of Chechnya was shot dead in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building on Oct. 7, 2006.

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In 2014, a court in Moscow convicted the gunman and three other Chechens involved in the killing along with a former Moscow police officer who was their accomplice. Another former police officer involved in the killing made a deal with authorities that allowed him to qualify for a reduced sentence in exchange for cooperation with investigators.

Politkovskaya’s newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, castigated the authorities for failing to determine who ordered the killing, noting that under the Russian statute of limitations, the mastermind wouldn't face punishment 15 years after the crime unless a court rules otherwise.

Asked about the investigators' failure to find who ordered Politkovskaya's killing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such efforts often take a long time and emphasized that the mastermind must be tracked down and punished.

“It's a primary task to ensure the imminence of punishment for such crimes,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters when asked if the Kremlin would support waiving the statute of limitations to punish the mastermind.

Novaya Gazeta's editor, Dmitry Muratov, said that the search for the mastermind has long fizzled even though the authorities pretend it's ongoing.

“Regrettably, there is no probe going on now,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We don't even know when an investigator last touched that criminal case.”

Muratov described Politkovskaya as an unrivaled reporter with strong charisma and a lot of empathy.

“She would bend her head as she listened to people and was so attentive that it became clear that there is nothing more important in the world than her interlocutor,” Muratov recalled. “And she also laughed in such a contagious way as few other people could! So she lived her life between that pain and that rare burst of laughter."

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Anna Frants contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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