Ten arrested over Politkovskaya murder
Monday, 27 Aug 2007 20:23
Anna Politkovskaya was a fierce critic of the Kremlin
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Ten people have been arrested in Russia over the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the country's prosecutor general has revealed.
According to Russian news agencies RIA-Novosti and ITAR-Tass, Yuri Chaika has informed president Vladimir Putin that the ten people will be charged imminently with Ms Politkovskaya's murder.
"We have advanced seriously in the investigation of the criminal case of journalist Politkovskaya," Mr Chaika said.
"Ten people have been arrested within the framework of this case investigation. Charges will be soon brought against them on suspicion of committing this serious crime."
The 48-year-old was killed on October 7th last year in her Moscow apartment building in a suspected contract killing.
Ms Politkovskaya's death prompted an outpouring of grief and widespread condemnation among the international community.
Despite being a fierce critic of Mr Putin's regime through her frontline investigative reporting from Chechnya, upon her death the president vowed that the "horribly cruel crime" would not go unpunished.
But he added that her influence on Russian politics had been "minimal… very minor".
More than 1,000 people attended the Novaya Gazeta correspondent's funeral in Moscow last year.