His Excellency Georgiy Mamedov
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Canada
285 Charlotte Street
Ottawa, ON K1N 8L5

June 30, 2009

Dear Ambassador,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world.

CJFE welcomes the June 25 news that Russia's Supreme Court has ordered a re-trial in the case of murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. During her life, she was recognized internationally for her efforts to expose human rights abuses in Chechnya.

Politkovskaya was shot execution-style on October 7, 2006. Last week, the Supreme Court overturned the acquittals of three men accused of secondary roles in the crime, because of procedural violations that took place during the trial. The gunman himself has yet to be captured after fleeing the country, and the masterminds behind the murder have not been identified.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Russia is the third-deadliest country in the world for journalists. Since 2000, 17 journalists have been killed. In 16 of the 17 cases, just as in Politkovskya's case, the killers have yet to be convicted and the masterminds remain at large.

While CJFE welcomes news of the re-trail, we also urge Russian authorities to renew their efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice in this and in other cases. We thank you for your attention and look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Arnold Amber, President

CC: The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ralph Lysyshyn, Ambassador of Canada to Russia