A vanity from a former Hostage

I would like to summon up my courage and declare that, of all the participants in this discussion, only I am personally acquainted with Anna Politkovskaya and, perhaps, the reality of Russia.

1. It is an abominable idea, that Anna was not poisoned, but was only trying to enhance her image. She has already made her name and displayed her authority, not only in the former Soviet Union, but in other countries as well. None of you show her any sympathy, though no one has the right to take her life outside of the law, no matter how bad she may be.
2. Have any of you, as Anna did, sat in a hole without food or water, as a hostage of the federals in Chechnya, have any of you seen murdered children and the faces of their parents, so that you can accuse her of deceipt or hypocrisy for the sake of popularity? Who of you has left all business behind in the USA, in order to stand in the middle of a city square under the guns of spetsnaz and terrorists, awaiting the decision by some headquarters on whether you could buy some juice with your own money to carry into the Moscow theater, to help us, the hostages there?
3. Why has the elementary thought not occurred to any of you, that a person can love their country, their city, their people, and want that life in their country should be as comfortable as in the USA?
4. Why have so many of you taken it upon yourselves to play God and decide which people should live, and which should not?

My friend very accurately describs terrorism and the fight against it in Russia. I can devise nothing better than her words here:

"Terrorists, including those who seized the school in Beslan, they are brain-dead degenerates and curs. Do not forgive them, insult them, or pay them attention. Don't give them anything. If there is a realistic chance of destroying them without risking, or minimally risking, the lives of hostages, this chance should be taken, quickly, decisively, and without doubts. For the sake of saving people, I negotiated with them and continued to the last opportunity, in the hope of saving people. I could care less how the surrounding world related to my activities, or what were the opinions of dense, impatient cowards, corrupt officials, and the like. Officials change rapidly and forever; people only live once, and they die forever. If someone were to take offense that I figuratively splash excrement on the honor of his uniform, I would exchange him without pity for women and children, no matter who he was. If this person cannot understand the value of human life, let him see for himself how it feels.

"That terrorists are the last of the degenerates does not mean that anti-terrorists have spotless hands which carry happiness and joy into every home. If we find among the anti-terrorists mediocrity, non-entities whose honor is for sale, liars, boasters, and heartless martinets - who defend only the honor of their uniform and the uniform of their commanders, then the result will be even worse acts by the terrorists; actually these two teams will play for a single goal - the death of the hostages.

"If I don't support anti-terrorists, it does not mean that I support terrorists. It means that the anti-terrorists have not managed their tasks and have only increased the consequences of the terror act, and in so doing became accomplices of the terrorists.

"Anti-terrorists can cover up the details of situations and limit publicity about the proceedings as long as this is required in the interests of saving people. But every attempt to lie, distort the essence of the proceedings or what occurred, to shift blame for their errors onto others - this is a criminal offense which cannot be excused or expiated by any means; in this case the anti-terrorists are the terrorists' accomplices and should be punished together with them.

"Anti-terrorists bear full and unconditional responsibility for their actions. Anti-terror is not a joke, it's not a picnic on the curb, it's not checking IDs or ripping off rich people, it's not making up a budget or other official matters pleasant to the body and soul. Any attempt to shirk responsibility or let another pay the price aids the terrorists and anti-terrorists above all should be punished in the harshest manner, without difference as to man, job title, his merits, or anything else.

"The activities of anti-terrorists should not directed towards solving hostage crises, dealing with the after-effects of explosions and other diversions, but centered on making sure none of this ever happens. Any terror act, explosion, or diversion is an indication of poor work by the anti-terrorists. The aim of terror acts, explosions, and diversions are to show fully the unsatisfactory work of the anti-terrorists, and demands an immediate investigation and improvement of their work; high-ranking jobs and loud-sounding names are not for alleviating circumstances, but aggravating them.

"If a terror act happens somewhere anyhow, an investigation of its reasons and the activities of the anti-terrorists should be maximally open and uncompromising. Openness provides not just a chance of eliminating the possible causes of acts of terror, but provides the majority of people with information on how to conduct themselves in critical situations, whom they may trust, and whom they may not. Even a small amount of knowledge of what to do under difficult situations may help to save the lives of a majority of people.

"Everyone needs to remember that the heroism of some people is always the result of the consequences of inactivity, carelessness, corruption, or incompentence of others. If somewhere the need for heroism arises, it means that there were significant, unsurmountable problems that could only be overcome through the sacrifice of their own lives. Where the is heroism, you will find the lowest and most base of people; if it was all a result of their actions or inactions, thant these need to be found and treated as accomplices of the terrorists. If this is not done today, then it will all repeat again tomorrow, and most likely, with even worse consequences.

"The struggle against terror should not be carried out using the terrorists' methods, because this generates an endless cycle of bloody wars without rules or a reasonable exit. The principal of collective responsibility is the the basis of terror, no matter under what slogans or in what form it is carried out. No government, religious, or ideologic offices, programs, slogans, or pressing needs can justify extra-judicial violence, cruelty, or secret courts.

"I have purposely not named any of the government services, officials, and the like, because I do not believe that the presciptions for combating terrorist evil are any different in various corners of the world. But at this time I live in the Russian Federation, a government that has been in a state of war for many years already.

"Anti-terrorists (secret services) came to power in the Russian Federation five years ago with slogans of a struggle with terror and providing safety to the citizenry. Gigantic resources are concentrated in the hands of the anti-terrorists. Through the efforts of the military (the army are not anti-terrorists) the terrorists were driven off into the mountains, and deprived of their main bases, and their communications were seriously disrupted. The servicemen did practically everything that was in their power. Society gave anti-terrorists a huge amount of trust in advance, thanks to these servicemen. Now anti-terrorists comprise 70% of those who make decisions in the government, including the very head of the regime. Fighting terror is supposedly the main specialty of these anti-terrorists, but the result of their five years at the helm has been an intensified wave of terror acts throughout Russia. Now this wave has washed over Moscow and the North Caucasus, but this in no way means that other parts of Russia are safe.

"Thus, it has been proven through practice - a terrible, bloody, and inhumane practice - that these new Soviet anti-terrorists are ineffective. Since the army has not changed during this time, the blame is soley the anti-terrorists'. The old punitive and repressive structures have been shown to be helpless against the real challenges of our time, and this is why they we cast them off during perestroika. We need to replace all these monsters for more something more effective that they are now. It does not matter that we are in mid-stream, or that it's a bad time for it - it's already too late to wait for a better opportunity. The enemy is at the gates, and he doesn't care who is next."

The Russian government does not have free press or other free media. Censorship is occurring there

The free press did exist at the time I posted the comment you referenced in 2004. It does now, but to a much lessor degree since Putin began his second term with moves to quash opposition to his policies.

But nothing in Putin's history seems to indicate that he would cause the deaths of many children in order to achieve a political gain. But he is acting as a dictator would.

What gain was achieved? Did he start a all out war with the Chechen's? Did he now pursue a slash and burn policy to eliminate them with new public support?

No, he did not, and has actually refused to join the U.S. and it's allies in the war on terror. If anything, he is ignoring the threat....

There are no dots to connect to the school bomb. There were none then, and there are none now. It remains a false conspiracy, but this does not excuse Putin's power grab. As I see it, he has seized almost total power in the past two years, and his reasons for doing so appear to be somewhat elusive.

Some believe it is to fight entrenched organized crime, and some believe it is his KGB upbringing that is showing and he wants total control, but nobody believes he staged the killings of those kids but conspiracy buffs who believe all sorts of things that are ridiculous.

From tomorrow's Novaya Gazeta:

ANYA

Anya

On Saturday, October 7th,
Anna Politkovskaya,
correspondent of Novaya Gazeta
was killed in the stairwell of her home

        She was beautiful, and through the years became only more beautiful. Do you do know why? At first we merely receive our countenance from God, and then the rest we make of it ourselves in the way that we live.
       Still, they say that in maturity the soul begins to appear on face. Her soul was beautiful.
       She was feminine. She knew how to laugh and joke and cry from injustice. Any injustice, no matter with respect to whom, she took as her personal enemy, and she fought it with all her strength.
       She was amazingly courageous, much more courageous than those many macho types in their armored jeeps, surrounded by bodyguards.
       They threatened her, they tried to intimidate her, and arranged shadows and searches. She was arrested in Chechnya by "our own" airborne forces, and they threatened to shoot her. They poisoned her when she flew to Beslan. She clawed her way back to life, and, though afterwards she was never really as healthy as before, her conscience was all the stronger.
       Many people, even well-wishers of Novaya Gazeta, now and then said: "Well, your Politkovskaya - she's too much already..." Not too much! She always wrote the truth. It is another matter that this truth was frequently too terrible, that many people's consciences refused to accept it. And so, as a protective reaction, they said she was "too much already." Sometimes even our editorial staff.
       For the average person, probably, the most difficult thing is to turn away from a terrible fact. But, if we were to look evil directly in the eye, it cannot remain; it will pass. Anya looked evil directly in the eye, and, perhaps, she remained the conqueror in the worst situations. Perhaps she remained alive where her lowered eyes would have meant her death.
       For us she is still alive. We will be never accept the death of our Anya. Whoever undertook this brutal murder - in the center of Moscow, in broad daylight, we ourselves will search for the killers. We have a good idea where they can be located...
       In Europe, and in America, right now the question is being discussed: what is the state of the independent media in Russia? Novaya Gazeta in recent years has had three of its leading journalists murdered.
       Igor Domnikov. His killers - because of the efforts of honest detectives and this newspaper - were brought to court.
       Yuri Shchekochihin. Even the authorities in his homeland refused to look at the results of his autopsy... but we are continuing our investigation, and his killers will be punished.
       Now they have taken our Anya Politkovskaya... They killed not just a journalist, not just a human rights advocate, or a citizen, they killed a beautiful woman and mother.
       While there is still a Novaya Gazeta, her killers will not sleep quietly.

       Novaya Gazeta
        09.10.2006

You can express your condolences here:
http://politkovskaya.fastbb.ru/

From the condolences weblog:

Aleksandr Usachev:
Who is behind this and the earlier murders?
Who wishes to stand with one foot in Europe, and with the other leg kick the objectionables in the rear and tries to keep his balance in the process?
Who is next?
Who will be the last?
God grant that the last victim of this undeclared war on the truth is Anna Politkovskaya...
Eternal is her memory, and condolences to her loved ones.

Serg:
It seems to me that we are living in '1984' of George Orwell, or during the time of the inquisition. If they are killing journalists, it means they are afraid of their words, and seriously afraid. But why do why allow ourselves to be silent? To kill a lot of people is more difficult.
I kneel down before Anna Politkovskaya, such honest and fearless people are unfortunately very few.
Sergey, Krasnodar

MTV:
They have extinguished yet another ray of light in this dark empire.

Mihail:
Thank you, for the truth! For freedom! For the example!
You are a hero!
Rest in peace.

Mihail Bogomolov:
Anna Stepanovna, forgive us! But we do not say 'farewell!' You remain with us, as one of the few people who didn't just look upon the government scum, but called them exactly what they deserved: scum.
Don't say with sorrow: 'They are gone!' But with gratitude: 'They were!'

Yurii:
SUCH news from Russia already doesn't suprise us, we all felt the sharp pain when we knew of Anna Politkovskaya's death. There are fewer and fewer people who aren't afraid to 'take to the streets', and Politkovskaya was the brightest light among them.

Marina:
It's hard to be an honest person in a bandit land...

Lev:
She gave us all strength...

Olga:
My tears choke me, it's hard to write, such an honest person, so close to my heart.
These reptiles are killing the last people, hoping that a society of beasts remains. They hope to frighten everyone, to make us stop thinking. Let the earth be your pillow, Lord protect her bright spirit, Amen.

Sergey:
Today Russia has no conscience. They killed it.

We mourn with you!
Government of force, stupid government, without brains,
Do you think that dying in her flower of life
She leaves, that the country is all like a prison,
Not ruled by law, but by a pistol?
But a bullet is a weak argument,
Obviously the truth is simple, like two times two:
Though Anna Politkovskaya is no more,
Her Novaya Gazeta is alive!
A.N. Kapitonov

Vika:
They feared her!!! The men revealed by authority and money! Fear this, you cowards, Anna from the skies will reveal all your meannesses, from there even more easily... But they did not count on one thing, yes, we were shaken by this murder, but we were not lost, we didn't scatter, we balled up our fists. If this brittle woman could resist this steam roller, this evil, then I can. Glory to you Anna, the fearless hero! You have it much better up there in heaven, than we do here in Russian, you have much more pleasant company. We remember everything, and this means that you live on, and evil will fall upon all the killers!
Glory to you, hero!

Good bye, my friend, good bye.
My dear one, you are inside my breast.
This predestined parting,
Promises a reunion ahead.
Good bye, my friend, without a handshake, without a word,
Do not get sad or furrow your brow,
Dying is nothing new in this life,
But living, of course, isn't novel either.
(S. Yesenin, ‹1925›)

Bela:
Dear Anna,
Thank you, for loudly saying what many feared to think,
Thank you, for going ahead, when many lagged behind,
Thank you, for trying to save the innocent who were condemned,
Thank you, for treasuring human life so,
Thank you, for telling us the truth,
Thank you, for your life,
Thank you,
A bright memory of you.

Kira:
Sincerest condolences, I am crying... as if one of my own had died. Maybe I can say that it is so. Anna was at 'Nord-Ost', there where my closest person in the world was, ... Her whole life she tried to help those who had it bad. I always trusted her. Eternal is her memory...

Svetlana:
Bitter. Unmeasurable sadness. Shame for our nation, for all of us. Anna Politkovskaya was fearless. Her readers feared for her. It happened anyway. How THEY master us! How we allowed THEM to master us!
Thank you, Anna! All these years you showed us how we should live. Thank you, and forgive us.

Balakar:
99% corruption, 99% stupidity, 99% lies and meanness, and 1 % honest people. They are shooting and forcing out of the country the last of this percent. My condolences to all those close to Anna. And I'm very sorry for myself and my children.

Leonid:
Shame and fear for the country in which I was once born. Judging for everything, anything goes, and it's a frighteningly long time until the dawn. Hang in there, like Anna hung in there, and don't lose hope, we are with you. Let the earth be your pillow!"

(October 7th, 2006, in memory of Anna Politkovskaya)

Don't listen for her respiration, and don't summon the physicians -
Her soul already walks barefoot along the celestial lawn.
God takes away the good by the hands of bastards.
Idle neighbors stare out from their windows.
What is it to her, spending time in spite with praise and disparagement?
She is already away from this bloody suffering.
The quivering reflection of a candle is like a halo overhead.
And the next on the list places flowers on her coffin.
Viktor Kagan

A few more comments from Anya's condolences weblog:

Mimoshla
Anna annoyed the authorities, like a bone in their throat, and they killed her. They will stop at nothing! Power corrupts.

Natasha
How awful it is to live in our country... This grief is impossible to put into words. We were so proud that there could be such journalists - courageous, fearless, brave. We are many more than they authorities think, and together we'll set things right.

Rustam Kersanov
Goodbye, Anna! You were a talanted journalist and a fearless person. I hope your courage helps to awaken the sleeping conscience of the average man and nourish the fighters.

Yakov
I feel as I did once when I heard of Galich's death. And if the government was involved, you'll never know. A bright memory of her!

Ingushetia
I hope that these curs answer in this life. Anna was an honest, brave person.

Sergey
A terrible death. I'm very sad for this remarkable person. I'm very sad for all the people who have no rights whatsoever, including a right to life. The pomp of holidays and fireworks in their honor - that is all the authorities are interested in. They kill people and go unpunished, homes are falling apart from age and disrepair, people are buried alive while asleep. And there is no end to this, no limit. Forgive us, Anya!

Jefff
Poor Russia! Really you need another 300 years to understand who is manipulating, scaring, and killing you. If you can mourn Anna today and then leave her in peace, then she wasn't needed by you in life. Today it's too late, however. Anna knew what she was doing and you should too. Condolences to both of you.

Katerina
The murder of any journalist is terrible. It is a gag, by which they shut our mouth. I am sorry for Anna, such a talented and purposeful person. It is pitiful and terrible that deeds such as this are still possible...

Soon to be published on http://www.nordostjustice.org/

What will we allow them to do tomorrow?

"Women, men, adults and children! Today we are stuck in a life or death situation. We all have parents, relatives, or children. Their lives are on your consciences. We beg that you solve this problem peacefully, otherwise much blood will end up being spilled."

This was the appeal of the hostages from the "brilliant success" that carried away 130 lives, and left behind 60 orphans, hundreds permanently handicapped, and wrecked the lives of the thousands whose relatives and loved ones never returned from the theater. These monstrous statistics, however, do reflect the complete scale of the tragedy: the future is now predetermined by the "gas attack" at Dubrovka.

Dubrovka is Moscow's legal precedent, a license to use such gas chambers in the struggle against terrorism. Our "ostrich" politics and silent consent to the "anything goes" policies of the Russian authorities makes this legitimate. Moscow's strategy at Dubrovka, "do not ask at what price victory", shows that the community is a potential hostage of the Russian president's ambitions, and that civilians are nothing more than potential victims of future 'Nord-Ost' gas chambers.

Russian defense minister Sergey Ivanov was not speaking rhetorically when he promised to use "all effective weapons, other than nuclear" in the struggle against the terrorist threat. This gas attack in the center of Moscow in the 21st century is a kind of neutron bomb, which kills people while leaving buildings undamaged. For the first time in peacetime, a civilized, "democrat" government has used secret chemical substances against thousands of peaceful civilians.

The promotions and awards of the secret "heroes of 'Nord-Ost'," and the unaccountability of those who successfully risked the lives of strangers, will be a stimulus for future operations to poison, burn, and kill terrorists along with their hostages. We, who are all someone's children and someone's parents, cannot trust the destiny of ourselves and our loved ones to those who view our lives as nothing more than a tactical decision, a flip of the coin while calculating actions to their own selfish benefit.

The persistence of these executioners in evading responsibility, in avoiding the legal process, has laid bare not only the scale of the conspiracy, but the animal fear they have of punishment. It is a long-standing, tragic tradition in Russia to murder of those who will not bend to the will of the authorities. Now they have forever silenced Anna Politkovskaya. Anna's voice was the alarm bell of 'Nord-Ost', and she was intimately connected to the 'Nord-Ost' case, just as a mother and her newborn are connected by an umbilicus. Anna's courage was admired everywhere, even by the terrorists, but her irreconcilability infuriated the authorities and exposed their impotence. How awful must be the truth, how dangerous it must be for those who have something to hide, if they can only hide from it with the help of a bullet?

Why does the bell toll - what was Anya writing about?

She wrote that an evil ignored gives birth to an even greater evil, that a crime that goes unpunished is doomed to repeat itself.

She wrote that there are real people behind the tragedy at Dubrovka, and they have names, ranks, and titles, and these must be made known. She wrote that they have a duty to save and protect, not to murder. She wrote that only an independent investigation into the responsibility of the Russian leadership for 'Nord-Ost', and a trial of the murderers, could protect us from future crimes by today's authorities, as well as the crimes of tomorrow’s authorities at the next 'Nord-Ost' and Beslan.

For whom does the bell toll - for whom was Anya writing?

She wrote for those who were killed in this 21st century gas chamber, for the children who were shot and incinerated in the school, for the citizens who were tortured and tormented in Chechnya. She wrote for those whom we have to duty to remember. She wrote for the future of our children and grandchildren, so that the world they are born into would be worthy of them.

For whom did the bell toll on October 10th?

It tolled for Anna Politkovskaya, and the question: what will we allow them to do tomorrow? If we do not find an answer, than WE have allowed THEM to murder. On October 7th, we, the 'Nord-Ost' victims, were once again made orphans; once again we lost our OWN.

Do not ask for whom does the bell toll... listen to it...

Lubov Burban

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