A Murder in Russia
Today's murder of Stanislav Markelov is not proof in isolation of anything apart from that Russia continues to be a perilous place for those who challenge officialdom. But given who the lawyer was representing, and the string of high-profile murders in the country, the killing demonstrates yet again the atmosphere of impunity for assassins created by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Markelov was representing the family of an 18-year-old Chechen girl, Elza Kungayeva, who was brutally raped and murdered by an Army colonel named Yuri Budanov. Budanov's crimes were unforgettably described by writer Anna Politkovskaya, who herself was murdered a little over two years ago in Moscow. In large part because of Politkovskaya's crusading journalism, Budanov finally was imprisoned for 10 years.
In Russia, it's common for prisoners to be released after serving half their term on good behavior, and last Thursday a court let Budanov go.
The 34-year-old Markelov had vigorously opposed Budanov's early release. Today, he did so again in a news conference near the Kremlin in Moscow. Moments later, a man wearing a ski mask shot him dead in broad daylight, using a pistol fitted with a silencer. The killer also murdered Anastasia Baburova, a free-lance journalist for Novaya Gazeta who was accompanying Markelov. The killer then vanished into a subway station.
What sets Russia apart from fellow members of the so-called Group of Eight nations is just such murders, organized and carried out without consequence. If you cross an invisible line in Russia, you are subject to the ultimate sacrifice -- death -- and the chances are whoever ordered it will go unpunished. Politkovskaya is one example. Another whom I researched for Putin's Labyrinth is Paul Klebnikov, the editor of Forbes Russia, who while being a fervent Putin admirer, clearly crossed someone else's line of tolerance, and was murdered in 2004.
Murders occur in all countries, but not with the frequency that they do in Russia, and not with impunity for the organizers.
Markelov was representing the family of an 18-year-old Chechen girl, Elza Kungayeva, who was brutally raped and murdered by an Army colonel named Yuri Budanov. Budanov's crimes were unforgettably described by writer Anna Politkovskaya, who herself was murdered a little over two years ago in Moscow. In large part because of Politkovskaya's crusading journalism, Budanov finally was imprisoned for 10 years.
In Russia, it's common for prisoners to be released after serving half their term on good behavior, and last Thursday a court let Budanov go.
The 34-year-old Markelov had vigorously opposed Budanov's early release. Today, he did so again in a news conference near the Kremlin in Moscow. Moments later, a man wearing a ski mask shot him dead in broad daylight, using a pistol fitted with a silencer. The killer also murdered Anastasia Baburova, a free-lance journalist for Novaya Gazeta who was accompanying Markelov. The killer then vanished into a subway station.
What sets Russia apart from fellow members of the so-called Group of Eight nations is just such murders, organized and carried out without consequence. If you cross an invisible line in Russia, you are subject to the ultimate sacrifice -- death -- and the chances are whoever ordered it will go unpunished. Politkovskaya is one example. Another whom I researched for Putin's Labyrinth is Paul Klebnikov, the editor of Forbes Russia, who while being a fervent Putin admirer, clearly crossed someone else's line of tolerance, and was murdered in 2004.
Murders occur in all countries, but not with the frequency that they do in Russia, and not with impunity for the organizers.
Labels: Klebnikov, litvinenko, markelov, Politkovskaya, putin's labyrinth
3 Comments:
When you mention Klebnikov's death you should probably also mention that he wrote a scathing book about BAB. Motive, means, and opportunity. Right?
The situation surrounding the murder of Markelov actually presents President Medvedev a real solid opportunity to prove to all that he is truly against legal nihilism.
Medvedev should make a statement that he thinks Yuri Budanov's probation should be revoked until the investigation into Markelov's death is completed.
Would that not be a step in the right direction?
Welcome William. Putin is the main purveyor of the Berezovsky theory. I personally think there isn't much there apart from bad blood; if Putin could get anywhere near proving murder against Berezovsky, he would do so.
As for Budanov: for Medvedev's or Putin's image, authorities need to arrest and try at least one major murder organizer. It is astonishing that none has been caught. Again, it gives the impression that such people act with impunity.
What I don't quite understand about these killings is that Russians seem not to care. On the day after the murder, I arrived in my office here in Moscow and mentioned it to some of my colleagues. I was expecting outrage, rumours, gossip, and indignation, but instead I got melancholic shoulder shrugs and lines like "it's a complex situation," or "ah, this is Russia, you know."
There seems to be an acceptance here that these killings are just a part of life.
It really is strange, and I found it exasperating: I felt like saying, "hey, this is YOUR country, why am I the only one bothered?" And "I know that 'this is Russia' but is this how you want Russia to be??"
But I thought it best to leave it. As an expat, I am a guest afterall.
But imagine if this had taken place in London or New York. The mobilization of the political elite and the full specrum of security forces would have been instant and loud. The media would have been shrill. Public investigations would have been undertaken. Heads might even have rolled.
Here? Apathy.
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