Anna Politkovskaya was gunned down in the lobby of her apartment in Moscow eight years ago. Her assassination caused international outrage that was fueled with allegations that her death involved the instructions of certain Russian authorities. Russia's Government, of course, denied any participation.
Politkovskaya, murdered at 48 years old, was an investigative reporter and prominent Kremlin critic who exposed corruption and abuses to certain rights in Chechnya. She was killed on the 54th birthday of President Vladimir Putin, October 7, 2006.
Only recently, the five men responsible for Politkovskaya's murder were captured and were handed their respective jail terms. They were placed inside a glass-fronted courtroom cage while their lengthy sentences were being read to them. However, instead of remorse, the five convicts were smirking and exchanging smiles with one another.
To this date, there is still no answer as to who had masterminded the murder of Politkovskaya.
Judge Pavel Melyokhin granted the prosecutor's request to impose life imprisonment for Rustam Makhmudoy, who was declared guilty for pulling the trigger, and his uncle, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who organized the plot's logistics. The other three who were also involved in the murder received 12, 14, and 20 years of imprisonment.
Politkovskaya was one of almost two dozen Russian journalists who have been murdered since 2000. Her case attracted a lot of international attention because of the sheer brutality of her contract-style murder, in addition to the failure of Russian authorities to identify the mastermind of the assassination. Even now, after a span of almost eight years and countless trials, the main culprit has still not been identified.
Politkovskaya's son, Ilya, shared, "I will be satisfied only when the person or people who ordered this will be sentenced." Politkovskaya's independent newspaper, "Novaya Gazeta", is still running and the company's spokesperson stated, "For as long as the name of the mastermind is not known, there can be no talk of revealing the truth. Today's sentencing is important, but only a step. They are the lowest level in this criminal chain, which must still be revealed and punished."
The remaining Kremlin critics are not deterred and continue their investigative activities, telling the world that Politkovskaya's murder is a symbol of the weakness of the rule of law in Russia.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
