On 7 October 2006, the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot and killed outside her home in Moscow. On Sunday 7 October this year, several Norwegian human rights organisations, among them HRH F and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, both of the Human Rights House in Oslo, will observe the one year anniversary of her death with a memorial event at the Nobel Peace Centre. (27-SEP-07)
Based on the invitation to the memorial event distributed by Norwegian PEN, this article has been prepared for publication by HRH F / Nina Luhr and Niels Jacob Harbitz.
Despite the fact that more than 250 Russian journalists have been killed since the early nineties, the news of the murder of Politkovskaya felt particularly serious and shocking, since this was someone we knew. Politkovskaya was a strong and unafraid voice among Russian journalists and a frequent visitor to Norway. She was particularly concerned about the human rights violations in the Chechen Republic and became a profiled oppositional of Russian President Vladimir Putin´s regime. A few days after the murder last autumn, coinciding with Politkovskaya´s funeral in Moscow, Norwegian writers´, journalists´ and human rights organisations gathered for a joint demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in Oslo.
At 3 pm on Sunday 7 October this year, one year after the murder of Politkovskaya, the same organisations, this time joined also by a few others, will honour the memory of Politkovskaya. Behind the event that includes both live music, film and speeches and appeals stand the following organisations:
-The Norwegian Helsinki Committee,
-The Human Rights House Foundation
-The Norwegian Journalists´ Association
-Norwegian PEN
-The Support Committee for the Chechen Republic
-The Nobel Peace Centre
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