Press Release

Freedom House denounces the murders of Stanislav Markelov, an attorney and director of the Rule of Law Institute, and Anastasia Baburova, a reporter for the independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. They were shot Monday afternoon on a Moscow street following a press conference at the Independent Press Center.

During the conference, Markelov announced that he would continue to contest the early release from jail of Yuri Budanov, a former Russian tank commander who was imprisoned for murdering a young Chechen woman. Markelov was known for taking on high-profile human rights cases.

In an act that bears the hallmarks of a contract killing, Markelov was shot in the back of the head at close range by an assassin who used a gun fitted with a silencer, according to news sources. Baburova reportedly tried to stop the killer who then shot her in the head.

"Freedom House is outraged by these cold-blooded murders which reflect the impunity that exists in Russia today," said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director. "Responsible critics of the government appear to be fair game for contract assassins in a political climate in which Russian authorities have abdicated their responsibilities for protecting these important voices." 

Freedom House calls upon the Russian authorities to conduct a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation of Markelov's and Baburova's murders and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 16 Russian journalists have been killed in contract-style murders since 2000. Many more are assaulted or threatened every year with few suspects ever prosecuted.

"Tragically, the murders of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova represent part of a broader and deeply disturbing pattern of violence against human rights defenders and others seeking to uphold the rule of law in Russia," said Windsor.

The murders come as Russians face growing repression in their society. The newly-released edition of Freedom in the World, Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, cites a wide range of systemic abuses largely related to the consolidation of authoritarian rule under the leadership of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Russia has undergone a steep, negative decline in political rights and civil liberties over the past decade.

Russia is rated Not Free in the 2009 edition of Freedom in the World. The country received a rating of 6 for political rights and a 5 for civil liberties (on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 as the lowest), and was given a downward trend arrow this year. Russia is also rated Not Free in the 2008 version of Freedom of the Press.

For more information on Russia, visit:

Freedom in the World 2009: Russia
Freedom of the Press 2008: Russia

Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization that supports the expression of freedom around the world, has been monitoring political rights and civil liberties in Russia since 1990.

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