A person convicted within the 2006 killing of a Russian journalist wins a pardon after serving in Ukraine

A person convicted within the 2006 killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya acquired a presidential pardon after he did a stint combating in Ukraine, his lawyer mentioned.

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to twenty years in jail in 2014 for his position as an confederate within the killling of Politkovskaya, 48. She labored for the impartial newspaper Novaya Gazeta and wrote tales crucial of Kremlin insurance policies in the course of the early years of President Vladimir Putin’s time period, the conflict in Chechnya and human rights abuses.

She was shot and killed within the elevator of her Moscow condominium block, triggering outrage at dwelling and within the West, and emphasizing the risks confronted by impartial journalists in Russia. Her loss of life on Oct. 7, Putin’s birthday, led to options the capturing – wherein the Kremlin denied any position – was carried out to curry favor with the president.

Four others additionally had been convicted within the killing: gunman Rustam Makhmudov and his uncle, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who acquired life in jail, and two of Makhmudov’s brothers, who acquired 12 and 14 years.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, non-public army contractors and the Defense Ministry have provided prisoners their freedom in change for combating within the conflict.

Khadzhikurbanov, a former police detective, was launched final yr to struggle in Ukraine after which signed a Defense Ministry contract to proceed serving after his pardon, his lawyer Alexei Mikhalchik instructed The Associated Press.

He was provided a command place within the army as a result of he was within the “special forces” within the late Nineties and was in “almost all the hot spots,” Mikhalchik mentioned.

Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, and Politkovskaya’s youngsters, Vera and Ilya, condemned Khadzhikurbanov‘s launch.

“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 mentioned.

Muratov mentioned the “victims in this case – the children of Anna Politkovskaya and the editors” – weren’t instructed upfront in regards to the pardon. They additionally slammed Russian authorities for utilizing the regulation “according to its own perverted understanding,” by giving lengthy jail sentences to political opponents whereas setting murderers free.

Muratov received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 however this yr was declared by Russian authorities to be a international agent, persevering with the nation’s strikes to suppress critics and impartial reporting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned earlier this month that convicts recruited to struggle 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 mentioned.

Mikhalchik mentioned he was “happy” his shopper was freed as a result of he by no means believed he was concerned in killing Politkovskaya.

Muratov instructed the AP that whereas Khadzhikurbanov “was not the direct perpetrator of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya,” no investigation has taken place to determine 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 mentioned.

Muratov famous it was the second current instance 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 loss of life, Vladislav Kanyus, was pardoned in April, in accordance with lawyer and human rights advocate Alena Popova.

Pekhteleva’s household found Kanyus was free when her mom noticed on-line photographs of him sporting camouflage and holding a weapon, Popova mentioned on her Telegram channel.

“There is no justice. There is no law. There are no human rights. Nothing. Just total violence,” Popova instructed AP in response to the information in regards to the launch of Khadzhikurbanov.