As many already know, human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and Novaya gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova were gunned down in Moscow near the Kropotkinskaya metro on Monday afternoon. According to reports, a man in a green ski mask approached Markelov from behind and unloaded a few rounds into his head, execution style. Baburova was seriously injured when she tried to intervene. She died in a local hospital a few hours earlier. The gunman fled the scene.
Kommersant gives this description of the killing:
At 2:45 p.m. Stanislav Markelov exited the International Press Center with Novaya gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova. They went down Prechistenka toward the Koprotkinskaya metro station. The assailant, a young man of around 180 cm height, dressed in a black trench coat. dark jeans and a green ski mask, went from across the street towards them. He followed he followed his victims for several minutes, and then, not far from the metro, he crossed the street and shot the lawyer in the back of the head with a pistol with a silencer. After Stanislav Markelov fell, the killer quickly made his way down Gogolevskii boulevard. Shocked by the incident, Anastasia Baburova gathered herself, screamed, and what eyewitnesses say, she instinctively went after the murder. That sealed her fate. The criminal turned back and shot the young woman in the head. “Not many men would dare act in such a situation as she did,” Dmitrii Muratov the editor-in-chief of Novaya gazeta told Kommersant. According to him, Anastasia was a night student in the journalism department at MGU, and had worked for the newspaper since October of last year. Her writings dedicated to investigating the activities of neo-fascist groups. She died from her wounds in the evening. She never regained consciousness.
Robert Amsterdam has already done a rapid fire blitz of posts on the incident. I recommend readers to point their mouse there.
Markelov was clearly the victim of a contract killing. He was representing the family of Elza Kungayeva, 18, a Chechen woman who was allegedly raped then strangled to death by Colonel Yuri Budanov in 2000. Budanov was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2005, but was paroled after serving three for “good behavior.” Markelov called his release “illegal” and fought to keep the defrocked colonel behind bars. Budanov walked nevertheless. Now he has his revenge.
The Russian news coverage has been extensive. Reactions have been quick. More will certainly be forthcoming in the days ahead. Suffice to say that the murders prove that Medvedev’s “legalistic” Russia is no safer for human rights workers, lawyers, or journalists than Putin’s Russia. Hopefully, Medvedev won’t make the same mistake his mentor did by keeping silent after the Politkovskaya murder. All international eyes will be focused on Russia waiting for any gesture of recognition on the part of the President. For as Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of Yabloko, stated that “This crime shows that political murder remains a determinant in Russian society.” Unfortunately, he’s right.
Here is Russia Today‘s report:
Anyway, my point was that the law is supposed to protect everybody, not just rich and/or famous people. It does not. Most people are more-or-less defenseless, and so do not give a fuck about Markelov, much less, say, Khodorkovsky (boo-hoo, the poor defenseless billionaire crook is being oppressed. Cry me a river.).
“I guess Dmitry Pavlovich the gypsy cab driver just doesn’t have as powerful/vocal friends to pester investigators to find the fare who shot him and hacked up his body.”
Yep.
“escape by metro”
Really?
Yes, he ducked into the Kropotkinskaya metro station, according to the reports I’ve read.
Don’t they have cameras in there?
“You are also implying that the murder had political content, which is far from established.”
Yes, more than likely it had political content. The only way to find out for sure is if the crime is solved. More importantly is that regardless of the motivation of those who ordered his death the murder does indeed affect the polity precisely because Markelov was who he was.
“Anyway, my point was that the law is supposed to protect everybody, not just rich and/or famous people. It does not.”
Yeah, it sucks. In varying degrees this is the case all over the world.
“Most people are more-or-less defenseless, and so do not give a fuck about Markelov,”
That’s the part I think is totally fucked up (if really true). Once again, not all murders are the same. If I’m killed by a burglar, my murder is of much less significance to Vermont than if a reporter investigating state corruption is mysteriously murdered.
“If I’m killed by a burglar, my murder is of much less significance to Vermont than if a reporter investigating state corruption is mysteriously murdered.”
You’re missing my point again, which is that people care about this murder precisely for this reason, i.e., he is getting prefential treatment. Nobody would care if he was a Joe Schmoe. And there are a lot more Joe Schmoes. Society would be much more improved by protecting the Joe Schmoes, who have a lot more to worry about from crossing the street than they do from official corruption, than protecting this one guy.
“Yes, more than likely it had political content.”
It’s more likely that it had economic content. IMV.
Chris, once again, Markelov’s murder has more of an effect on the polity than the murder of a Russian Joe Schmoe. Because of it, his murder is naturally a more significant event that should have a higher priority. (This has nothing to do with someone’s worth as a person.)
To put it starkly. If Putin is murdered, would you think is reasonable for people to resent that the investigation and coverage of his murder is getting preferential treatment?
“Don’t forget that this was a very brazen crime: city center, broad daylight, escape by metro,”
“A daytime shooting of a man on a busy Toronto subway platform disrupted downtown commuter traffic for hours and put innocent people at risk, police said.”
The subway station was right downtown.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/01/22/ttc-shooting.html
“If Putin is murdered, would you think is reasonable for people to resent that the investigation and coverage of his murder is getting preferential treatment?”
Putin is liked and believed by most people to be working for their interests. Markelov (much less Khodorkovsky) is not believed to have been engaged in such activities, but rather to have been working against them. The issue is not simply the preferential treatment, but that the person getting the treatment is perceived to be an asshole.
(I actually have a relatively positive opinion of Markelov; he’s more serving as an archetype.)
“The issue is not simply the preferential treatment, but that the person getting the treatment is perceived to be an asshole.”
If you are talking about people’s subjective feelings, then I can sort of accept that. This does not mean, though, that the case of a person who, for better or for worse, became a public figure (Putin, Markekov, Khodorkovsky, etc) should not be handled with expediency because he’s perceived to be an asshole.
Heck, I think Putin is a major asshole (perhaps worse than Khodorkovsky, but I’m not totally decided), but if he is ever murdered I would surely want his case to receive preferential treatment. The same applies to Bush. I think he’s an asshole, but if both Bush and I are murdered on the same day, it’s a no-brainer that for the sake of the country his case should receive preferential treatment.
“The issue is not simply the preferential treatment, but that the person getting the treatment is perceived to be an asshole.”
Non sequitur.
Low opinion of another person mustn’t cancel the outrage when some harm comes to that person.
For example, I think you Chrisius are indeed an asshole, but I would be outraged if any harm were to come to you.
To discount, and even rejoice in, acts of violence against people one doesn’t like personally, takes a twisted and slavish soul.
Wow!
Markelov’s rating on this bog already reached Bush/Putin level…
From my point any human who thinks he has the right to kill another one for his own reason – extremely dangerous animal. And must me “isolated” asap.
How would you translate бытовухи?”
Probably “battery”, since Domestic crime does not have the colloquial flavour
Have you spotted this: http://argali2009.blogspot.com/
?
Lena,
Thank you very much for the link you provided:
http://argali2009.blogspot.com/
“as soon as the Argali poaching was made known to public – decision was taken that all investigation is made “temporarily secret”.”
Sad, but not surprising. I hope that thanks to public pressure thing move forward. Instead of an embarrassment to sweep under the rug, Medvedev should see it as a good opportunity to prove that he means business when he makes those “rule of law” claims.
By the way, guys, the blog whose link Lena gave us has info on writing to Medvedev about it. In such cases, any additional pressure tends to be helpful so there is little to lose.
And Lena, kudos to you for being one of the voices keeping this issue alive in Russia in your own Zhe-Zhe: http://lenaswan.livejournal.com/