Anna Politkovskaya, journalist

Russian reporter Anna Politkovskaya was murdered on October 7 2006.

Samuel Rachlin – a long-time foreign correspondent – shares a letter written post-mortem to his friend and colleague. He presents a vivid portrait of one of the world’s gutsiest journalists.* SAMUEL RACHLIN COPENHAGEN – Anna, Anna, I did not get to call you last time I was in Moscow, and now no cell phone can reach you.You were working on a story about torture, abductions and killings in Chechnya.Your article was to be published last Monday – it was your obituary instead.I am looking at your phone numbers and e-mail address in my PDA and think of all the occasions in the past when I called you to ask for your advice – or ask you to let me interview you on camera.Rest assured, I am not deleting your name or numbers.I will keep you alive digitally – as I assume hundreds of your colleagues and friends around the world will do, to stay connected with you and preserve the illusion about you as an active contact, source or colleague – beyond our reach.You were always busy with your next story or your family – and you could come across as absent-minded and stressed when you guided us through the piles of papers and books stacked everywhere in the usual chaos of your Moscow apartment.But you were also always ready to share your time, knowledge and advice.I have to confess that, in the countries where most of us practise our professional duties, it is difficult to relate to a reality where a journalist gets killed, gunned down like a snitch – just because they don’t like your work (or perhaps fear what your revelations can lead to).There is a long distance between the reality of one of our popular TV shows in Denmark, ‘Crazy with Dance’, and the reality of a Russian journalist who may end up paying with her life for her words.I don’t know if you were crazy with dance.I don’t even know if you knew this entertainment programme at all – but I know that you were crazy with truth.You wanted to get to the very core of it without any compromise and at any price, even the highest.You paid the price that Saturday in early October 2006 when you met your fate in that elevator and your killer finished your most important story – your life.Probably, you did not see him because he shot you in the back three times and once in the head, the “control shot” as they say in Russian, to ensure death.That’s how your narrative ended, Anna, and I think it’s fair to say you were not surprised.You often told friends about receiving death threats, that you felt you were in danger – and that Somebody was trying to have you killed.The best-known case was the attempt on your life when you were poisoned on board the plane en route to Beslan to cover the hostage drama.You never made it to Beslan that time – doctors had to do their utmost to save your life.That did not change your working habits or style.You did not give it a thought to move to another country for safety and take advantage of your fame, for there would be no lack of job offers.But you wanted to pursue what you had set out to do – to tell the world about the state’s crimes in Chechnya, the violation of human rights all over Russia, the abuse of power in the Kremlin and the rampant corruption in all layers and corners of the society.You were not driven by any death wish.You loved life – and admitted readily to fear.But there was no alternative for you.You knew better than most what Putin’s Russia has to offer journalists who challenge the system and the authorities.Freedom of expression has been constrained all over Russia in the past six years.You can catch and jail someone, but how do you catch and sentence a system that has made it possible to hire a killer to eliminate a journalist.And the media are, like in Soviet times, increasingly being used as instruments or weapons in the service of government.As in Orwell’s ‘1984’ prison is freedom, darkness is light, lying is truth.One’s life is at stake when one chooses to be a reporter in Russia.A Russian poet, Osip Mandelstam, said in the 1930s that nowhere are poets as important as in Russia.Only in Russia are poets being killed.And yes, Mandelstam was killed.Today, you can say that nowhere are journalists as important as in Russia.Only in Russia, journalists are being killed.Twelve have been killed in Russia under Putin.You became the thirteenth.Anna, you knew of course which powers you were challenging when you said that Chechnya’s young Prime Minister, Ramzan Kadyrov, is “a state-level bandit” – and that his appointment was one of President Putin’s most tragic mistakes.When you met your killer that Saturday, you were working on a story about Kadyrov and his men using torture, abductions and killings against unwanted people in Chechnya.You said you had pictures to document your charges.You loved life – and admitted readily your fear.But there was no alternative for you.Moscow is awash with rumours and speculation about who took out a contract on your life.There is the Chechen trace, assumptions about the Kremlin’s interest in getting rid of you, suspicion of some Neo-Nazi connection – and all kinds of other theories.The fact of the matter is that, like in all the preceding killings of this kind, it will never be established who killed you.The journalist who would be the best Even if a Russian court some day will sentence someone as the killer, the real truth behind this heinous act will never surface.You can catch and jail someone, but how do you catch and sentence a system that has made it possible to hire a killer to eliminate a journalist.Today’s Russia is basking in its oil money and the sense that its great power dreams are within reach again.For the Kremlin, the killing of a journalist is a deplorable and even tragic act.But it does not call for a quick reaction.It took President Putin three days to condemn your killing, Anna.But he added that your influence on the political life was insignificant – and that your killing was far more damaging to the Kremlin than any of your articles.More interestingly, Putin said that he knew there were forces that want to exploit your killing to damage Russia’s interests in the world.I can hear how you would laugh at this suggestion and how you would cut to the chase with this analysis.”Putin never could use me for anything when I was alive,” you would say, and continue: “but now he will use my death to tighten the screws even more and do away with what is left of freedom of expression in Russia.Just wait and see.”Anna, the problem for us, foreign correspondents, and all your Russian colleagues now is: Who is going to tell the Kremlin that Putin and his men – with all their financial prowess and power – must understand that there is one loss which the new Russia cannot afford: you and your courage, tall, slim, upright Anna.The GlobalistHe presents a vivid portrait of one of the world’s gutsiest journalists.* SAMUEL RACHLIN COPENHAGEN – Anna, Anna, I did not get to call you last time I was in Moscow, and now no cell phone can reach you.You were working on a story about torture, abductions and killings in Chechnya.Your article was to be published last Monday – it was your obituary instead.I am looking at your phone numbers and e-mail address in my PDA and think of all the occasions in the past when I called you to ask for your advice – or ask you to let me interview you on camera.Rest assured, I am not deleting your name or numbers.I will keep you alive digitally – as I assume hundreds of your colleagues and friends around the world will do, to stay connected with you and preserve the illusion about you as an active contact, source or colleague – beyond our reach.You were always busy with your next story or your family – and you could come across as absent-minded and stressed when you guided us through the piles of papers and books stacked everywhere in the usual chaos of your Moscow apartment.But you were also always ready to share your time, knowledge and advice.I have to confess that, in the countries where most of us practise our professional duties, it is difficult to relate to a reality where a journalist gets killed, gunned down like a snitch – just because they don’t like your work (or perhaps fear what your revelations can lead to).There is a long distance between the reality of one of our popular TV shows in Denmark, ‘Crazy with Dance’, and the reality of a Russian journalist who may end up paying with her life for her words.I don’t know if you were crazy with dance.I don’t even know if you knew this entertainment programme at all – but I know that you were crazy with truth.You wanted to get to the very core of it without any compromise and at any price, even the highest.You paid the price that Saturday in early October 2006 when you met your fate in that elevator and your killer finished your most important story – your life.Probably, you did not see him because he shot you in the back three times and once in the head, the “control shot” as they say in Russian, to ensure death.That’s how your narrative ended, Anna, and I think it’s fair to say you were not surprised.You often told friends about receiving death threats, that you felt you were in danger – and that Somebody was trying to have you killed.The best-known case was the attempt on your life when you were poisoned on board the plane en route to Beslan to cover the hostage drama.You never made it to Beslan that time – doctors had to do their utmost to save your life.That did not change your working habits or style.You did not give it a thought to move to another country for safety and take advantage of your fame, for there would be no lack of job offers.But you wanted to pursue what you had set out to do – to tell the world about the state’s crimes in Chechnya, the violation of human rights all over Russia, the abuse of power in the Kremlin and the rampant corruption in all layers and corners of the society.You were not driven by any death wish.You loved life – and admitted readily to fear.But there was no alternative for you.You knew better than most what Putin’s Russia has to offer journalists who challenge the system and the authorities.Freedom of expression has been constrained all over Russia in the past six years.You can catch and jail someone, but how do you catch and sentence a system that has made it possible to hire a killer to eliminate a journalist.And the media are, like in Soviet times, increasingly being used as instruments or weapons in the service of government.As in Orwell’s ‘1984’ prison is freedom, darkness is light, lying is truth.One’s life is at stake when one chooses to be a reporter in Russia.A Russian poet, Osip Mandelstam, said in the 1930s that nowhere are poets as important as in Russia.Only in Russia are poets being killed.And yes, Mandelstam was killed.Today, you can say that nowhere are journalists as important as in Russia.Only in Russia, journalists are being killed.Twelve have been killed in Russia under Putin.You became the thirteenth.Anna, you knew of course which powers you were challenging when you said that Chechnya’s young Prime Minister, Ramzan Kadyrov, is “a state-level bandit” – and that his appointment was one of President Putin’s most tragic mistakes.When you met your killer that Saturday, you were working on a story about Kadyrov and his men using torture, abductions and killings against unwanted people in Chechnya.You said you had pictures to document your charges.You loved life – and admitted readily your fear.But there was no alternative for you.Moscow is awash with rumours and speculation about who took out a contract on your life.There is the Chechen trace, assumptions about the Kremlin’s interest in getting rid of you, suspicion of some Neo-Nazi connection – and all kinds of other theories.The fact of the matter is that, like in all the preceding killings of this kind, it will never be established who killed you.The journalist who would be the best Even if a Russian court some day will sentence someone as the killer, the real truth behind this heinous act will never surface.You can catch and jail someone, but how do you catch and sentence a system that has made it possible to hire a killer to eliminate a journalist.Today’s Russia is basking in its oil money and the sense that its great power dreams are within reach again.For the Kremlin, the killing of a journalist is a deplorable and even tragic act.But it does not call for a quick reaction.It took President Putin three days to condemn your killing, Anna.But he added that your influence on the political life was insignificant – and that your killing was far more damaging to the Kremlin than any of your articles.More interestingly, Putin said that he knew there were forces that want to exploit your killing to damage Russia’s interests in the world.I can hear how you would laugh at this suggestion and how you would cut to the chase with this analysis.”Putin never could use me for anything when I was alive,” you would say, and continue: “but now he will use my death to tighten the screws even more and do away with what is left of freedom of expression in Russia.Just wait and see.”Anna, the problem for us, foreign correspondents, and all your Russian colleagues now is: Who is going to tell the Kremlin that Putin and his men – with all their financial prowess and power – must understand that there is one loss which the new Russia cannot afford: you and your courage, tall, slim, upright Anna.The Globalist