Russian Journalists living dangerously

Editorial - The Observer Sunday 18th December, 2011

Khadzhimurad Kamalov is the latest of two hundred journalists murdered in Russia during Vladimir Putin's time in office. Kamalov reported the truth about official corruption, about organised crime, and about the lawlessness in his country, and for that he paid the price. Last week he was shot to death outside his office.

• Khadzhimurad Kamalov shot dead last week

• Kamalov exposed official corruption

• He is one of 200 journalists killed since Putin came to power

Khadzhimurad Kamalov was a battling editor doing his job the essential job for any good journalist working in Dagestan.

He reported the truth about official corruption, about organised crime, about the lawlessness that grips Russia's North Caucasus, and he surely knew the risks he was taking.

The masked gunman who ambushed him outside his office last week and shot him a sickening 14 times or more was always a half-expected caller just like the gunman who killed another Dagestan journalist, Yakhya Magomedov, in May. Though he was only shot four times.

The more facts along this trail of blood, the more dismaying it becomes.

Four journalists murdered in Vladimir Putin's Russia this year alone. That makes it a "good year" by some standards, because around 200 have been killed since he first came to hold power.

We in the west may have registered a few dreadful cases say, the murder of Anna Politkovskaya but, year in and year out, something close to a silent slaughter has been allowed, even condoned. Crimes unchecked, often cursorily investigated. Crimes against freedom bathed in slothful impunity. Many, many die, but few merit even a semblance of justice.

Of course, precise figuring in case after case isn't possible.

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