Based on blog posts by Boris Visnevsky and Dmitry Florin, 7.10.2014

Today, October 7th, is the eighth anniversary of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, journalist and human rights activist. Anna wrote a lot on the war in Chechnya calling to stop the war. Those who ordered the murder havn’t been found up to now.

Every year the actions in memory of Anna Politkovskaya take place in Moscow and St.Petersburg.

Last year when YABLOKO activists were laying flowers to Politkovskaya’s memorial plaque outside the Novaya Gazeta newspaper editorial office Grigory Yavlisnky said that Anna Politkovskaya was the symbol of Russia’s future and she was murdered by the system. “She was braver than it was allowed in Russia, she was more honest than it was allowed in Russia, and she was more talented than it was allowed in Russia. She spoke up and wrote more than it was allowed in Russia, that is why she was murdered.

She was murdered by the system, because she exceeded all its limits. Politkovskaya is the symbol of growth and the future of Russia. And the memory of Anna is very dear to all honest people”, said Grigory Yavlinsky.

In 2010 YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin made a public statement demanding to boost the investigation of Anna Politkovkaya’s murder. “There is much chance to efficiently investigate this case. The investigation produced some results, however, it has not moved any further for a long time.We think that this happens first of all due to the lack of political will to complete the investigation, i.e. to find those who ordered the murder.And all the talks about Russia’s modernisation are useless until the present situation change, as the lack of will to find out the truth in Anna Politkovskaya case means lack of will to implement real changes.We are calling all the decision makers here to display courage, resolution and insistence and finally make a step forward and bring to responsibility all those guilty of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya – the murderers and those who organised and ordered this crime”, was running in Mitrokhin’s statement.

“The articles by Anna Politkovskaya represented a huge criminal case called “The Russian Federation against its citizens” and all the pages of this case were flooded with blood and tears”, will say my friend form Pskov, journalist and deputy of the Pskov region Legislative Assembly Lev Shlosberg. They also wanted to silence him but by a lucky chance didn’t manage to…

Anna wrote about kidnapping, “mopping up”, seizure of hostages, tortures, putting to death without any court, children who dead from rocket salvos in Chechnya – in international law all these has an exact definition: the crime against humanity.

In Russia these activities which were made public “make the minimum influence on the political life” said the President without moving a muscle after the murder of Anna Politkovkaya. And his royal households and propagandists started to discuss the “periphery of public conscience” where Anna supposedly had been dwelling and her low “mentioning index”. The descendants will hardly ever remember them [propagandists] or only in case with their shameful statements…

Today we only make suspicions who could order this crime in October 2006.

We will learn the truth about this murder and who ordered it when the present regime goes off. And the recompense will take place by all means…

No one can take Anna’s place

The only thing we can do is to do all in our power to continue her activities.