2009

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.

Anatomy of Injustice: The Unsolved Killings of Journalists in Russia “The recognition, observance and protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen shall be the obligation of the State. … Everyone shall have the right to life. … Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of ideas and speech.” —Constitution of the Russian Federation, Articles…

Valery Ivanov and Aleksei Sidorov were friends and colleagues, a pair of crusading editors out to expose crime and make a splash in Russia’s car-making capital. They were murdered 18 months apart.

By Ann CooperIn a manufacturing city divided in two, corruption and violence find a home, but justice struggles to find a place.

Journalists have been silenced for covering Chechnya and its neighboring republics, Dagestan and Ingushetia. Opaque investigations into the killings have fed deep skepticism.

A veteran reporter in the region describes how authorities censor the news through intimidation.

Guilty verdicts in the killing of Igor Domnikov show that persistence can lead to justice. But critics say the case, successful as it has been, remains far from complete.