Exactly one year ago, russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya from Novaja Gazeta, got shot to death in the elevator of her apartment building. She was one of the too few Russian journalist that dares to write about topics of sensitive character to the Kreml and president Putin, such as the war in Chechnya.
 
The reasons for the Kreml's tighter grip on media and politics can be discussed. I strongly believe that one of the main reasons for the current situation in Russia is the lack of democratic history and therefore the lack of positive experiences of freedom amongst Russian voters. Moreover, the most free period in Russian history is tied to economic decay.
 
Russians are again less free. Despite the fact that the economy is in considerably better shape than during perestroika and glasnost during the late eighties and even better than during the relatively democratic nineties under Jeltsin, Russian people today lack political basic rights that characterize any contemporary democracy.
 
Many Russians feel marginalised and forcely detached of their superpower status after the emerge of a new system. A large part of the population believe that the so called freedom and democracy has not brought what it promised with regards to food on the table. Russian politicians and authorities are still corrupt and the US is now alone the single superpower, which can be seen as a failure for Russia.
 
Figures such as Anna Politkovskaya that challenge the army and the image of Russia as a superpower and, moreover, challenge the country's great leader Putin are not always popular amongst contemporary Russians.
 
Unfortunately, Politkovskaja is one of the twelve Russian journalists that has been murdered or mysteriously vanished during the latest years. Freedom of speech in Russia is continiuously diminishing day by day.
 
This lack of positive images of democracy and freedom also concern the leaders of Russia. They have learnt how to run the government and institutions during the Soviet era. Now, with a romantic old memory of the superpower that they were as the Soviet Union, they lack methods for the implementation of a democratic leadership. The population might have been quite poor then, as many people still are today, but they were still important.
 
However, Russian history will grant her a proper legacy just as Putin is already being exposed as an undemocratic and megalomaniac leader. The more journalists’ and activists’ blood he spills the worse the judgement of him will be.

In order to support a proper development towards democracy in Russia, it is of great importance to support the opposition, journalist and activists that commit themselves to accomplish a change. It is also important to condemn any crime or violation of human rights. Despite Putin's power or method we Hill support the legacy of Anna Politkovskaya and other journalists that offered their lives in the name of  freedom and democracy.

 / Daniel W