Questions in Russian Democracy

by Kean Witzeman

Democracy suffered a crushing blow on October 7th of this year when an award winning journalist was assassinated in broad daylight in Russia. The entire story of her tragically blatant murder begs the question of many debatable “democracies” the world over.

Anna Politkovskaya was one of the most recognized and revered journalist in Russia who built a solid career reporting on Russian affairs such as the controversial civil war in Chechnya and the intrinsic political corruption that grips the Russian Federation. Mrs. Politkovskaya was critical of the brutal tactics and extreme leadership of the Chechen rebels, while at the same time known to bring focus on the horrors committed by the Russian military. The attention she received for her writings critical of Moscow’s action in the war, though award winning, often found her in hot water.

Over her illustrious career, she was often threatened, arrested and even suffered an attempted poisoning by those who opposed her investigative journalism. Mrs. Politkovskaya had a knack for exposing the dirt on the otherwise glistening façade of the Kremlin, making her an enemy of some of the most powerful people in the country.

On Saturday, Mrs. Politkovskaya’s body was found in typical Russian assassination fashion. She was DOA in the elevator of her apartment building, with the murder weapon left beside her body as a calling card of the arrogant Russian assassins that knew they would never be caught thanks to the Russian culture of corruption.

Politkovskaya joins a handful of other journalist who have been murdered since President Vladimir Putin took office in 2000, without yielding a single criminal conviction. The well timed assassination is believed by many experts to be enough to discourage similar journalists from similar activities that may incriminate the powers that be.

When asked, Clemson’s contemporary Russian political authority, Dr. Matthew Crosston described his expert opinion, saying: “While it will be truly impossible to ever pin down the actual perpetrators and initiators of this crime, it does unfortunately signal another turn in Russian civil society where it seems law is a relative term that is applied arbitrarily. What I find most disturbing is the recent trend of actual activists being killed. Those few citizens of Russia who were not numbed into apathy or scared into cowering ultimately seem to be losing their lives in a dirty and meaningless way, discarded to the side like trash. Her death does indeed have grave consequences for all other journalists who may wish to pioneer investigative stories but will now no doubt hesitate and most likely err on the side of caution and inaction. Will Russia ever truly have a vibrant and passionate civil society? The murder of Politkovskaya says to all that if you want it, you will have to earn it through blood and sacrifice. That is a hard price to ask of people already struggling on an average of $120 a month and long since convinced of their own political impotence.”

The prospective offered by Dr. Crosston shows a grim look at the reality that is, sadly, the state of Russian “democracy.” Russia has supposedly been democratic since the Soviet Union fell in 1991. However, the country has received international attention for its widespread business and political corruption. Corruption in Russia unlike other countries, as preached by many Russian experts is the rule, not the exception.

It’s a tragic reminder of the fragile nature of labeling polities in regards to “us” versus “them.” In other words, simply giving a nation the label of democracy tends to add an element of legitimacy, as we attempt to bring democracy to the Middle East. The truth, however, is that real democracies must be transparent, open to dissent and able to handle criticism when they are at fault.

A democracy must not control the news that the public receives in an effort to carry out their agenda. It must protect it’s people from those who wish to silence any and all opposition. We can only hope and pray that those responsible for the murder of Anna Politkovskaya are brought to justice, but under the current climate of Russia, few people are holding out hope that the crime will ever receive closure.