OSCE Representative: Russia’s authorities are not able to protect journalists

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Inability of authorities to protect Russian journalists must be tackled at highest level, says Miklos Haraszti , the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media on February, 19, a REGNUM correspondent was informed at the press service of the OSCE headquarter.

Miklos Haraszti, commenting on the acquittal of those accused in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, expressed dismay today at the failure to counter years of violence against investigative journalists in Russia. “The Politkovskaya verdict tops the long history of inability of Russia's authorities to provide safety to embattled journalists,” said Haraszti. “This amounts to a practical impunity for the murder and physical assault of those covering corruption and human rights issues”,-considers the OSCE representative. He added, that “there can be no true freedom of the press as long as the brightest journalists across the country fear being killed for doing their job”.

Internationally famous Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot on 7 October 2006 entering her Moscow apartment building.