Russian President Putin’s Critic Anna Politkovskaya Shot to Death, The Journalist’s Killers Receive Verdict

Anna Politkovskaya's murderers finally sentenced after the journalist's death has gained worldwide outrage when she died during the birthday of the Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2006.

Five men were all found guilty for the murder of the Russian journalist eight years ago. A verdict has been reached when Judge Pavel Melyokhin agreed to order life imprisonment for the two killers among the five. Anna Politkovskaya's death actually erupted allegations that the Russian government led by Putin was involved.

Two of the investigative journalist's murderers were sentenced to life imprisonment after the judge agreed to the prosecutor's request. These two convicted killers are Rustam Makhmudov, the gunman and his uncle Lom-Ali Gaitukayev who was the one responsible for organizing the killing. Other suspects include Ibragim and Dzhabrail who happens to be Makhmudov's brothers were sentenced to 12 and 14 years of imprisonment while the third suspect who was a former Moscow policeman in the name of Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced for 20 long years.

Although the men were sentenced with lengthy years in prison for killing Anna Politkovskaya during Putin's birthday, they still managed to smile while inside their glass-fronted courtroom. The men were convicted for shooting the journalist in the lobby of her apartment eight years ago. Even if the verdict was reached, the journalist's son, according to Mail Online, said that he will only be satisfied when the person behind the killing of his mother will be sentenced.

Before being killed, Anna Politkovskaya was a well-known critic of President Putin. She uncovered state corruption and rights abuses. She was internationally recognized for her reports about the country under the reign of the said president.

As the Russian government denied its involvement with Anna Politkovskaya's murder, Putin also condemned the said incident; however, he still got mad to the journalist's supporters by claiming that her killing just caused greater damage to the country. The late journalist was reportedly shot to death twice in the chest, one in the shoulder and in the head on October 7, 2006.