No Crime, No Punishment

On the End of the Anna Politkovskaya Murder Trial

Author(s): Angelika Nussberger, Yury Safoklov
Editor(s): Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 59
Pages: 8-11
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen
Publication Year: 2009

From November 2008 to February 2009, the Moscow military tribunal heard the case of the murder of prominent journalist Anna Politkovskaya. However, those sitting in the dock were not the main perpetrators, but only suspected accomplices to the act. All four suspects were acquitted of murder, since the prosecution's evidence failed to convince the jury. The case had many shortcomings in terms of the rule of law, but the jury's decision was ultimately a convincing application of the presumption of innocence.

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