12:28, 17 April 2014

CPJ: Russia occupies tenth place by number of unsolved journalists' murders

Funeral procession in connection with the murder of journalist Akhmednabi Akhmednabiev. Makhachkala, July 9, 2013. Photo by Patimat Makhmudova for the ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Following the results of 2013, Russia occupied the 10^th place in the ranking of countries, where high probability of impunity for murders of journalists still remained. This was reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The report prepared by the CPJ mentions the murders of journalists from Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya and the Stavropol Territory.

"Despite some improvements in the Russia's index in the ranking, the impunity continues to negatively affect the activity of the Russian media," states the report published on the CPJ's website on April 16.

The report mentions the names of 56 Russian journalists, whose murders on the grounds of their professional activities have not been solved since 1992. Of them, the reports reminds of the murders of Kazbek Gekkiev, a journalist of the State TV and Radio Company (STRC) "Kabardino-Balkaria" (murdered in December 2012), Abdulmalik Akhmedilov, an editor of the newspaper "Sogratl" (murdered in August 2009), Khadjimurad Kamalov, a staff member of the newspaper "Chernovik" (Draft) (murdered in December 2011), and others.

Of the crimes committed recently, the CPJ has drawn attention to the murder of Akhmednabi Akhmednabiev, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, committed in July 2013 in Dagestan.