Vitali Yaroshevski is deputy editor in chief of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, where the killed Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya worked. Politkovskaya was shot to death on Saturday in Moscow in the elevator of her block of flats. She gained popularity with her harsh critiques on the war in Chechnya and Northern Caucasus.
Yaroshevski was approached by Darik News to comment the speculations around Politkovskaya's death.
Evgenia Marcheva from Darik News talked to Vitali Yaroshevski*
Q: Do you doubt the speculations that Anna Politkovskaya's murder is actually an assassination?
A: I have no doubts whatsoever that she was killed for political reasons. She dealt with something very specific, which is quite uncommon in Russian journalism - political investigations. She wrote not just for crimes, but for persons in politics, for their actions and crimes. In 2006 Politkovskaya published 51 articles in Novaya Gazeta and all of them in one way or another concerning very important, and very dangerous I must add, persons.
Q: Who then wished her death?
A: I cannot answer this question. Whatever I tell you, I may be convicted of a crime
Q: Maybe Anna Politkovskaya's malevolent death wisher's name is hidden in her articles...
A: Yes, it is highly probable. On Tuesday we issued a special edition, paying tribute to Anna, putting in it all her articles and she did name persons. It is absolutely possible the mastermind of her assassination to had been named in some of them.
Q: Do you think she was murdered because of her articles on Chechnya and her position on Russian President Vladimir Putin's policies?
A: No, no, I don't think so, no! She could only be killed for a particular journalistic investigation.
Q: Give me a clue...
A: For her investigations? They were for the corruption in the Russian army, the kidnapping of people in Chechnya and the battles there. The last article she wrote, but was murdered before submitting it, was about the violence in Chechnya. They torture people there.
Q: Do you think it is a coincidence that Politkovskaya was killed on Putin's birthday?
A: Yes. But I think this assassination harmed seriously Putin's and Russia's reputation.
Q: How did Russian society react to her death?
A: We receive a huge number of letters of condolence. And when I say huge amount I really mean it. There was a meeting on Sunday at the Pushkin Square. The people were not that many, but still they had come. Now a colleague gives me the hint that for today's Moscow reality the people were many.
Q: Is this a serious damage on the freedom of speech in Russia?
A: Of course it is. People In Russia who embody freedom of speech are very few anyway. Anna was well known for her defence of justice. She was a famous journalist even outside Russia's borders.
Q: Novaya Gazeta is offering RUR 25 M for information that will help find the mastermind and the assassin. Are there many people that call in your editor's office?
A: I don't know a thing about this. Maybe the editor in chief has more information and maybe very soon we will know more about the assassination.
Q: Do you think Politkovskaya's assassination will frighten other journalist, dealing with investigation journalism?
A: No, it won't. Novaya Gazeta's investigation of the case proves it.
Q: What will you remember of Politkovskaya as a colleague?
A: We will found a section in the editor's office with her name so she will always live in our hearts.
Q: What was she as a person?
A: A beautiful woman, a beautiful woman. She was a person with a complex and ambiguous character. We loved her very much.
*Translated by Lora Petrova, Sofia News Agency
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