To be honest, I never heard of the woman before the terrible tragedy happened. But the more I read about her, the more grief I felt.
I spoke with a veteran American journalist friend of mine in Cairo, who covered the war in Chechnya and was based in Moscow in the 1990s. He knew Anna, and described her as “very, very brave,” he said. “Her coverage during the war was great, but more importantly her post-war coverage. She did many stories on the mass killings by Russians and their proxies, on atrocities against Chechnyan detainees… That made many in Moscow upset. They did not want to hear about this sort of thing… You know, in many ways, being a reporter in Russia is more dangerous that it is here in Egypt.” My friend then went on listing names of reporters killed by gangs or local government officials for pursuing stories about corruption or human rights abuses.
May she rest in peace…
I’d read her stuff on and off for two years. She was one of the bravest journalists of her generation – the Russian Amira Hass.
Reminds me of the Quranic verse: “Do not say about those who are slain in the path of God that they are dead, nay they are alive…”
The memory of her courage and relentless struggle will live on…
May she rest in peace…
Excellent comparison with Amira Hass, Issandr. Hopefully someone in the new generation of Russian journalists will be able to continue along her path. Her voice will be sorely missed. My thoughts goes to her family.