One of Russia’s bravest and most highly regarded human rights lawyers, Stanislav Markelov, has been assassinated today by an unknown gunman at point blank range on Prechistenka Street in Moscow. Anastasia Baburova, a woman accompanying Markelov, was also shot. Among other high profile political cases, Markelov represented the family of Elza Kungayeva, and helped to push forward the successful prosecution and conviction of one of the worst human rights violators of the war in Chechnya, Colonel Yury Budanov. In recent weeks, Markelov had been in the news as one of the strongest voices opposing the early parole of Budanov.
I am completely taken aback by the news of this brutal murder. I knew Stanislav personally, considered him a friend and respected colleague. I will have more information to share on this later, but for now, my thoughts and prayers are with his family.
We will be adding updates to this post throughout the evening. For now, links to news coverage: Reuters, Russia Today, Associated Press, and RIA Novosti, cited below.
UPDATE #1: Coverage from the New York Times has just come online. This report indicates that the woman accompanying Markelov was a journalist who had published highly critical articles on the government’s Chechnya policies. Markelov had just finished giving a news conference in which he announced the possibility of bringing international legal action against Budanov.
UPDATE #2: Luke Harding of the Guardian has filed his story, and the AP has updated their coverage with more information, which quotes Lev Ponomarev as saying “When one needed a bold journalist, one called Politkovskaya, when one needed a bold lawyer — one called Markelov.“
UPDATE #3: Novaya Gazeta has updated their coverage … translation here.
UPDATE #4: The Moscow Times has filed its coverage, with further details on the press conference given before the murder. The event was titled “The Illegal Release of Budanov From Prison: the Ignorance of the Court and a Direct Benefit For Militants,” and the father of the victim accused Budanov of securing his bail thanks to “his influential friends.“
UPDATE #5: The Telegraph has filed a story, not much info except for that the killer was wearing a balaclava style mask. Amnesty International has also posted a statement.
RIA Novosti:
“Lawyer Stanislav Markelov was killed near building No. 1 onPrechistenka Street. Documents bearing his name were found on thebody,” Anatoly Bagmet, an official with the Prosecutor General’soffice, told journalists.
Budanov, who commanded a tank regiment during the second militarycampaign in Chechnya, was convicted in the summer of 2003 of stranglingan 18-year-old Chechen woman three years earlier and was sentenced to10 years in jail. He was paroled earlier this month.
Elsa Kungayeva’s family had appealed against Budanov’s early release,but a court rejected their plea last Thursday just hours after theformer officer was released.
A source in the law enforcement bodies said earlier that Markelov wasshot dead from a gun with silencer at around 2 p.m. Moscow time (11:00GMT) near the Kropotkinskaya metro station in Moscow downtown.
“An assailant ran from behind to Markelov and a woman escorting him,Anastasia Baburova, and shot him in the back of the head frompoint-blank range. The woman tried to get hold of the suspect, but heshot her too,” the source said.
Police said earlier that one man was killed and two more seriously wounded after an unknown suspect opened fire on them.
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5 Comments
I see no reason in the world why you should be “taken aback” or even the least bit surprised by this news. In fact, you should have expected it and indeed been surprised by the fact that it did not occur sooner. Perhaps you were in denial?This is only one in long string of political murders that dates back to Putin’s first years in the Kremlin.http://larussophobe.wordpress.com/putinmurders/Is this finally enough to jolt you out of your dogged moderation and realize that we are at war?
Russophobe, you shouldn’t disrespect the memory of this brave man to launch ridiculous attacks. RA knew Markelov, and you didn’t, so I think it’s natural that to be taken aback when a friend dies … which has nothing to do about being “surprised” by the threats to his life.It is crass and opportunistic for you to leap on this to push your agenda within hours of the body going cold. You couldn’t even wait one day out of respect.
Isn’t it rather a flight of fancy to assume you know who I know and who I don’t?Being taken aback is the same thing as being surprised and hesitant. That is exactly how the Kremlin would like us to react.Mr. Amsterdam should have been more attuned to the risk of this event, and should have taken steps to be better prepared with an immediate response. Even now, his posts fail to point the finger of blame at the Kremlin, and I have every right in the world to express my opinion on that subject. They fail to call for any specific action, nor do they announce any. I have every right to criticize Mr. Amsterdam for that failure. I find it particularly repugnant that this blog would link to Russia Today’s “reporting” on this subject at all, much less without the appropriate disclaimer.Was it “crass and opportunistic” for George Bush to rush to 9/11 and condemn terorists? Was it when Martin Luther King rushed to the ccene of a killing to decry racists?This blog has been characterized by far too much moderation of a type that Martin Luther King condemned for the very reason that it leads to the perpetuation of foul deeds like this one. I have consistently criticized this blog on that ground. I’m asking Mr. Amsterdam for a declaration of war, and I have every right to do so. He of course is free to respond as he thinks best. For you to attempt to silence me could easily be construed as the act of a Kremlin sympathizer. You should better consider your comments and focus on the task at hand.
Would you please be so kind as to stop the ranting, chère Russophobe, we do know what kind of confrontation is about. But what do you expect us to do? Take to the streets and go about a homicidal rage, just for the sake of it? I should think it wouldn’t be a better means than the one that has been applied today on Markelov. If you want war, start it; but pray stop admiring yourself. Otherwise you are creating an inflation of criticism. Quite on the contrary, I think that the constructive and informative approach of Robert Amsterdam’s blog is a very beneficial counterpoint to the war of propaganda where truth dies first.
It is unfortunate to see that this is the level of discourse that is prompted by a tragedy like this. Facile Kremlin-bashing merely obscures the root of the issue; too often the actual point at issue cannot be seen clearly from the pulpit. It is the wider understanding of Russia and its current ills that suffers as a result. That any crime is prejudged and exploited for political reasons without the due process and objectivity afforded by the law is what Stanislav, sadly like many before him, sacrificed his life fighting. He died defending what little remains of the rule of law in Russia and that should be respected not exploited.