Europe & Central Asia

By Jean-Paul MarthozThe struggle for human rights demands the exertion of internal and external pressure. If Russia has seemed resistant, it is not as impervious as it might seem.

Assassins targeted the internationally known journalists Paul Klebnikov and Anna Politkovskaya two years apart in Moscow. Despite promises, arrests, and trials, no one has been brought to justice.

By Leonid NikitinskyIf justice failed when juries acquitted suspects in two high-profile cases, it was not the jurors’ fault. Indeed, the jury system may prove the best route to justice.

Enterprising young reporters tackling sensitive local topics are often isolated and vulnerable to reprisals from powerful forces.

Anatomy of Injustice: The Unsolved Killings of Journalists in Russia   A centralized federal system, overseen in Moscow with regional offices throughout the country, investigates and prosecutes most serious crimes in Russia, including murders. A system of Investigative Committees is in charge of most criminal probes. The Russian Investigative Committee in Moscow, headed by Aleksandr…

The two victims were energetic journalists, expert in their fields, fair in their reporting. They died in suspicious circumstances that have not been fully investigated.

By Andrei SoldatovSecurity agencies operate in near secrecy. When journalists turn to unofficial sources, they court harassment or attack.

Can President Medvedev halt attacks on the press without moving against corruption in law enforcement agencies? Two cases show how the issues are intertwined.

By Maria LipmanJournalists and others who speak out against government abuses are on their own. If they are attacked or encounter legal trouble, they can hardly count on public support.

Investigators in two cases are quick to classify slayings as the product of street crimes such as robberies rather than probe more sensitive motives.