Russians are outraged by the cold-blooded murders of Stanislav Markelov and Ananstasiya Baburova. For as long as no-one are arrested, let alone brought to trial, the killings will reflect the culture of impunity that come with such crimes in the Russian Federation today. Calls upon Russian authorities to conduct a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation of Markelov’s and Baburova’s murders and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible have come from the majority of human rights communities all over the world, including that Warsaw Helsinki Committee and The Council of Europe.
In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, laerge crowds gathered to mourn and protest the murders of Markelov and Baburova. In Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic, more than 2000 people, among them representatives from all the ministries, official institutions of the republic, NGOs, youth groups and students, took part in a similar gathering. The participants warned the authorities that if the contractors and their contract killers for the murder of Markelov are not brought to justice , the protest rallies will continue. But various kinds of meetings were held in other parts of the Russian Federation as well. In Novosibirsk, participants in an unauthorized meeting in the memory of Markelov and Baburova was attacked by skinheads-looking youngsters. Some of those attending the meeting carried posters saying "Not Forget, Not Forgive", and "The Authorities Kill for Truth". At a crossroads, they were attacked by 10 people using batons and sticks and. Witnesses claim that the attackers threatened with serious bodily harm if people ‘wouldn’t stop interfering’. When it emerged that two of those beaten were actually seriously injured, the attackers disappeared quickly.
The murders of Markelov and Baburova represent part of a broader and deeply disturbing pattern of violence against human rights defenders and others seeking to uphold the rule of law in the Russian Federation.The crime is compounded by the knowledge that the Russian Federation has a culture where impunity reigns and murderers are rarely brought to justice. Coincidentally, the trial of the four suspects in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, who was also a "Novaya Gazeta" journalist, resumed the same day in Moscow. Neither the masterminds of her murder nor the suspected gunman are on trial.
-This is why blood is being shed again, says Zoya Svetova, journalist at Dosh magazine. Svetova collaborated with Markelov on some of the most urgent topics to do with the Chechen Republic, and even wrote a few articles about his clients. "Most of his cases were devoted to human rights protection" –she said. -Markelov was the lawyer of Michail Beketov, the editor of "Khimkinskaya pravda", and suffered severe beatings for his work. While still in hospital, however, he defended several victims of human rights abuses in the Chechen Republic. He also worked closely with Politkovskaya and was instrumental in the 2005 conviction of a police officer, Sergei Lapin, who was imprisoned for the torture and disappearance of a young Chechen man.
-Stanislav was more than a lawyer, said, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, left, the Chairwoman of Moscow Helsinki Group. -He was a human right defender. His priority was cases on human rights, and he was an expert in this sphere. -Everybody was shocked by the killing of Stanislav, but not surprised. Murders of such people as Anna Politkovskaya, Magomed Evloev and Stanislav Markelov have become regular, added Varvara Pachomenko, a member of the "Demos" Center.
The investigation of the case is placed under personal control of Yuri Chaika, Prosecutor-General of the Russian Federation. None of the country’s leadership has commented on the crime, committed in the center of Moscow, within shouting distance of the Kremlin.
