When Olga Kotovskaya fell to her death from the 14th floor of a tower block on November 16th, officials claimed it was suicide and the state-controlled media made no mention of her death. Thanks to the brave protests of her family and friends and the support of Russia's Union of Journalists, a new investigation has been opened into the case and the circumstances surrounding Kotovskaya's death have finally been brought to the attention of the international human rights community.
Kotovskaya, a television journalist, who founded the popular yet controversial regional TV channel Kaskad had, the day before her death, just won a long running court case with the Kaliningrad authorities who had seized control of the channel in 2004. Before it was seized by the regional authorities, the Kaskad channel had been known to invite guests onto talk shows who were critical of the ruling elite. Once the channel was under the control of the state, these criticisms ceased.
So a successful journalist, who had just learned the news that she would regain her beloved television channel, was supposed to have been so unhappy with life that she threw herself from a tower block.
What is more, Kotovskaya had no personal links to the building from which she plunged. Why, if she was committing suicide, would she choose an obscure building she had never previously visited? What was she doing there?
All of the facts point to one thing and one thing only. That Kotovskaya's death was another monstrous demonstration of the arms of the Russian state acting with utter disregard for human rights and utter arrogance about their own impunity. Kotovskaya did not commit suicide, she was murdered.
Russia is not a free, democratic country. It is an authoritarian regime that reaches into the lives of its citizens and removes all dignity, respect and sense of individual freedom. In all of its regions and republics, from Kaliningrad to Chechnya Russian citizens cannot act as they wish, believe what they wish or say what they wish. If they do, and the state doesn't approve, they live with the fear that they too will end up shot in a stairwell or thrown from a building.
The Chechnya Peace Forum will continue to campaign against these atrocities, not just in Chechnya but in all of Russia. Until Russia becomes a free country with a free press and a proper democratic process, the regime of terror that presides over Chechnya will never be subject to proper scrutiny, will never be held accountable to its people and will never need to uphold the rule of law. |
