Nate Ostiller
Tue, November 14, 2023
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin pardoned the convicted killer of famed Russian opposition journalist Anna Politkovskaya after his military service in Ukraine, Russian state-controlled media RBC reported on Nov. 14.
Former Russian police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was convicted of his role in Politkovskaya's murder in 2014 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He has been imprisoned since then but went to fight in Ukraine as part of the Kremlin's drive to recruit prisoners.
In 2022, the Russian authorities allowed Wagner Group to recruit prisoners in Russian jails. Russia's Defense Ministry has also recruited from Russian jails. Under this procedure, they were pardoned in exchange for military service.
The late Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in June 2023 that as many as 32,000 former prisoners had returned to Russia after fighting in Ukraine.
Khadzhikurbanov's lawyer did not say when he started to fight in Ukraine or when he received the presidential pardon. Khadzhikurbanov is currently fighting in Ukraine on a contract with Russia's Defense Ministry, his lawyer said.
Politkovskaya came to prominence in large part because of her coverage of Russia's brutal wars in the breakaway Russian Republic of Chechnya, specifically related to her coverage of war crimes and human rights abuses. Apart from working for the independent Russian paper Novaya Gazeta, she also wrote several books about Chechnya. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the two wars in the early 90s and 2000s.
She was shot and killed in an elevator in her apartment building in Moscow in 2006. Khadzhikurbanov and four others were found guilty of Politkovskaya's murder, two of whom received life sentences, but it remains unclear exactly who ordered her killing
Politkovskaya was an outspoken critic of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, regularly denouncing his role in human rights abuses in Chechnya. There have been rumors that he, as well as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, were linked to her death, but no concrete proof.
Read also: Team of liberal economists helps Putin keep his power, wage war in Ukraine
Man convicted of murdering Russian journalist Politkovskaya was pardoned and is fighting in Ukraine
Ukrainska Pravda
Tue, November 14, 2023
Sergei Hadzhikurbanov, former operative officer of the Russian regional directorate for countering organised crime, convicted of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian Novaya Gazeta journalist, was pardoned and went on to fight in Ukraine on the side of Russia.
Source: Russian Telegram channel Baza, RBC
Details: In 2014, Hadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The official term of his imprisonment was supposed to last until 2034.
As it was discovered by Baza, Hadzhikurbanov joined the war in Ukraine at the end of 2022.
Allegedly, he began his service as commander of the intelligence department. According to the source, he "repeatedly went behind enemy lines, performing specific tasks as an intelligence officer with his fighters".
After six months of "service" as a convict, Hadzhikurbanov was pardoned and now participates in the war as a civilian who concluded a contract with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.
For reference: Anna Politkovskaya, a Novaya Gazeta journalist, was killed on 7 October 2006 in the entrance to an apartment building in Moscow. The person who ordered the murder was not found, but the investigators consider Lom-Ali Gaitukayev to be the organiser of the crime. In 2014, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, in 2017 he died in prison.
In addition to Gaitukayev, his nephews Dzhabrail Makhmudov, Ibrahim Makhmudov and Rustam Makhmudov, Hadzhikurbanov, a former employee of the regional directorate for countering organised crime, and lieutenant colonel Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, a former employee of the Moscow police department, were found guilty of organising and executing the murder of Politkovskaya.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pardoning prisoners convicted in the Russian Federation, in particular on serious charges, to send them to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Russian convicted in journalist's murder pardoned after serving in Ukraine
CBSNEWS
November 14, 2023
A man who was convicted in Russia for involvement in the 2006 murder of prominent investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya has received a presidential pardon after fighting in Ukraine, according to his lawyer and local media reports. Former police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014 for helping to organize the assignation of Politkovskaya, a reporter with the Novaya Gazeta newspaper who was gunned down in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building.
Politkovskaya was a vocal critic of Russia's war in Chechnya, and while her thorough investigations of Russian military abuses during that conflict received international recognition, they also angered Russian authorities.
Khadzhikurbanov's lawyer, Alexey Mikhalchik, told Russian news outlets that his client was pardoned after serving a six-month contract on the front lines in Ukraine, and that he had since signed another contract to continue serving in the military.
"He worked in special forces in the 90s, he has experience, which is probably why he was immediately offered a command position," Mikhalchik told the Russian business news outlet RBC.
Khadzhikurbanov and four other men were sentenced in 2014 over Politkovskaya's murder, but it was never determined who ordered her killing.
Russian human rights activists attend a rally in honor of slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow on October 7, 2010. / Credit: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty
"Neither the victims nor the editors were informed about the killer's pardon. Just like they aren't informing us about how they are looking for the rest of the killers — and above all, the person who ordered it. [That's] Because they are not looking and because [the killers] are being covered for," Novaya Gazeta said in a statement Tuesday.
"For us, this 'pardon' is not evidence of atonement and repentance of the murderer. This is a monstrous fact of injustice and arbitrariness, an outrage against the memory of a person killed for her convictions and professional duty," the newspaper's statement added.
The Russian military has increasingly relied on convicts to supplement its depleted military units amid a protracted Ukrainian counteroffensive. Prison recruitment has supplied the Russian army with tens of thousands of fighters, according to prisoners' rights advocacy groups, enabling the Kremlin to avoid another mass-mobilization of recruits after the initial effort to call up ordinary Russians in late 2022 proved hugely unpopular. Thousands of young Russian men fled the country to avoid conscription.
In recent weeks, Russian media have reported on multiple instances of convicted murderers in high-profile cases being released after serving only a fraction of their sentence after serving on the front lines, including Vladislav Kanyus who served less than a year of his 17-year sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Vera Pekhteleva.
Kanyus reportedly tortured Pekhteleva for hours, inflicting 111 stab wounds and choking her with a cord.
Pekhteleva's mother Oksana told local media that her family was shocked by the news of Kanyus' pardon, saying: "This is a spit in my face, and at those mothers whose [children] were brutally killed in the same way. There are so many of us all over the country, we don't know what to do. This comrade may still be fighting, but some killers already walk free, and these mothers see them. How is it possible to live with this?"
A man convicted in the 2006 killing of a Russian journalist wins a pardon after serving in Ukraine
EMMA BURROWS
Tue, November 14, 2023
FILE - Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, accused of the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, awaits the judge's verdict in a glass cage, at the Moscow City Court, Russia, Wednesday, May 21, 2014. A lawyer for Khadzhikurbanov said Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, that he received a presidential pardon after doing a stint fighting in Ukraine.
Tue, November 14, 2023
FILE - Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, accused of the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, awaits the judge's verdict in a glass cage, at the Moscow City Court, Russia, Wednesday, May 21, 2014. A lawyer for Khadzhikurbanov said Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, that he received a presidential pardon after doing a stint fighting in Ukraine.
AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin
A man convicted in the 2006 killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya received a presidential pardon after he did a stint fighting in Ukraine, his lawyer said.
Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014 for his role as an accomplice in the killling of Politkovskaya, 48. She worked for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and wrote stories critical of Kremlin policies during the early years of President Vladimir Putin's term, the war in Chechnya and human rights abuses.
She was shot and killed in the elevator of her Moscow apartment block, triggering outrage at home and in the West, and emphasizing the dangers faced by independent journalists in Russia. Her death on Oct. 7, Putin’s birthday, led to suggestions the shooting — in which the Kremlin denied any role — was done to curry favor with the president.
Four others also were convicted in the killing: gunman Rustam Makhmudov and his uncle, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who received life in prison, and two of Makhmudov’s brothers, who received 12 and 14 years.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, private military contractors and the Defense Ministry have offered prisoners their freedom in exchange for fighting in the war.
Khadzhikurbanov, a former police detective, was released last year to fight in Ukraine and then signed a Defense Ministry contract to continue serving after his pardon, his lawyer Alexei Mikhalchik told The Associated Press.
He was offered a command position in the military because he was in the “special forces" in the late 1990s and was in "almost all the hot spots,” Mikhalchik said.
Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, and Politkovskaya's children, Vera and Ilya, condemned Khadzhikurbanov's release.
“For us, this ‘pardon’ is not evidence of atonement and repentance of the killer. This is a monstrous fact of injustice. ... It is an outrage to the memory of a person killed for her beliefs and professional duty,” they said.
Muratov said the “victims in this case — the children of Anna Politkovskaya and the editors” — were not told in advance about the pardon. They also slammed Russian authorities for using the law "according to its own perverted understanding,” by giving long prison sentences to political opponents while setting murderers free.
Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 but this year was declared by Russian authorities to be a foreign agent, continuing the country’s moves to suppress critics and independent reporting.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that convicts recruited to fight in Ukraine are worthy of pardons.
“Those sentenced, even on grave charges, shed their blood on the battlefield to atone for their crimes. They redeem themselves by shedding blood in assault brigades, under bullet fire and shelling,” he said.
Mikhalchik said he was “happy” his client was freed because he never believed he was involved in killing Politkovskaya.
Muratov told the AP that while Khadzhikurbanov "was not the direct perpetrator of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya,” no investigation has taken place to establish who was behind it.
“The person who ordered it is free, and the accomplice to the crime has been pardoned. This all that can be said about the protection of freedom of speech in Russia," he said.
Muratov noted it was the second recent example of a prisoner convicted in a killing to win his freedom after serving in Ukraine.
Vera Pekhteleva, 23, was killed in January 2020 by her boyfriend after ending their relationship. The man convicted in her death, Vladislav Kanyus, was pardoned in April, according to lawyer and human rights advocate Alena Popova.
Pekhteleva's family discovered Kanyus was free when her mother saw online photos of him wearing camouflage and holding a weapon, Popova said on her Telegram channel.
“There is no justice. There is no law. There are no human rights. Nothing. Just total violence,” Popova told AP in response to the news about the release of Khadzhikurbanov.
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LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for Anna Politkovskaya
A man convicted in the 2006 killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya received a presidential pardon after he did a stint fighting in Ukraine, his lawyer said.
Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014 for his role as an accomplice in the killling of Politkovskaya, 48. She worked for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and wrote stories critical of Kremlin policies during the early years of President Vladimir Putin's term, the war in Chechnya and human rights abuses.
She was shot and killed in the elevator of her Moscow apartment block, triggering outrage at home and in the West, and emphasizing the dangers faced by independent journalists in Russia. Her death on Oct. 7, Putin’s birthday, led to suggestions the shooting — in which the Kremlin denied any role — was done to curry favor with the president.
Four others also were convicted in the killing: gunman Rustam Makhmudov and his uncle, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who received life in prison, and two of Makhmudov’s brothers, who received 12 and 14 years.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, private military contractors and the Defense Ministry have offered prisoners their freedom in exchange for fighting in the war.
Khadzhikurbanov, a former police detective, was released last year to fight in Ukraine and then signed a Defense Ministry contract to continue serving after his pardon, his lawyer Alexei Mikhalchik told The Associated Press.
He was offered a command position in the military because he was in the “special forces" in the late 1990s and was in "almost all the hot spots,” Mikhalchik said.
Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, and Politkovskaya's children, Vera and Ilya, condemned Khadzhikurbanov's release.
“For us, this ‘pardon’ is not evidence of atonement and repentance of the killer. This is a monstrous fact of injustice. ... It is an outrage to the memory of a person killed for her beliefs and professional duty,” they said.
Muratov said the “victims in this case — the children of Anna Politkovskaya and the editors” — were not told in advance about the pardon. They also slammed Russian authorities for using the law "according to its own perverted understanding,” by giving long prison sentences to political opponents while setting murderers free.
Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 but this year was declared by Russian authorities to be a foreign agent, continuing the country’s moves to suppress critics and independent reporting.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that convicts recruited to fight in Ukraine are worthy of pardons.
“Those sentenced, even on grave charges, shed their blood on the battlefield to atone for their crimes. They redeem themselves by shedding blood in assault brigades, under bullet fire and shelling,” he said.
Mikhalchik said he was “happy” his client was freed because he never believed he was involved in killing Politkovskaya.
Muratov told the AP that while Khadzhikurbanov "was not the direct perpetrator of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya,” no investigation has taken place to establish who was behind it.
“The person who ordered it is free, and the accomplice to the crime has been pardoned. This all that can be said about the protection of freedom of speech in Russia," he said.
Muratov noted it was the second recent example of a prisoner convicted in a killing to win his freedom after serving in Ukraine.
Vera Pekhteleva, 23, was killed in January 2020 by her boyfriend after ending their relationship. The man convicted in her death, Vladislav Kanyus, was pardoned in April, according to lawyer and human rights advocate Alena Popova.
Pekhteleva's family discovered Kanyus was free when her mother saw online photos of him wearing camouflage and holding a weapon, Popova said on her Telegram channel.
“There is no justice. There is no law. There are no human rights. Nothing. Just total violence,” Popova told AP in response to the news about the release of Khadzhikurbanov.
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LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for Anna Politkovskaya
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