 Statement by Akhmed Zakaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
CHECHENPRESS,
Department of Official Information, 8 October 2006
The Chechen people has been outraged to learn of the vile contract murder of Anna Politkovskaya who has been a fearless witness of its torments of recent years. Motivated by human sympathy and a sense of professional duty, Anna never succumbed to fear, or to the official anti-Chechen hysteria. She was one of the few Russian journalists who systematically, year after year, exposed the crimes against humanity which the Russian military machine visited upon the defenceless civilian population of the Chechen Republic.
I had the honour of being personally acquainted with Anna Politkovskaya, and never ceased to admire her courage and moral integrity combined with deep humanity. For me, as for all Anna's friends and those who worked alongside her, her death is also a personal loss. I call upon the world community to condemn in the strongest possible terms the demonstrative execution of one of the foremost champions of human rights and freedoms, and to conduct an independent international inquiry into this heinous act of terrorism.
On behalf of the President of the CRI, Dokka Umarov, the Chechen Government, and on my own behalf, I wish to express our total condemnation of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. Its purpose is to intimidate other honourable journalists in Russia who remain independent of the state authorities. We express our deep condolences to the family and friends of Anna Politkovskaya. The memory of this great Russian woman, who shared the tragedy of the Chechen people and did everything she could to convey the truth about it to the world community, will forever remain in our hearts and will, in the course of time, be perpetuated in the Republic of Chechnya.
Akhmed Zakaev
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the CRI
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