Another Russian Journalist's Murder goes Unavenged

According to the Wall Street Journal Europe, yet another Russian journalist has been murdered without the killer being brought to justice.
Prosecutors say Anna Politkovskaya was followed on her way home and shot to death in an elevator by Rustam Makhmudov. Makhmudov then fled the country, and is rumored to be hiding in Europe.
The men who helped Makhmudov were put on trial in Moscow, but were acquited of all wrong doing. One of the men on trial was an ex-police officer with ties to the Kremlin. Prosecutors say that the Federal Security Service were of little to no help in the investigation, and may have tipped several of the co-conspirators off on how to leave the country without detection before the start of the trial.
This may be the death nail of journalism's coffin in Russia. The court system is defunct, the criminals are the pawns of the ruling party, and police turn a blind eye to the deaths of journalists.
Maybe it is time to start over. Maybe this morally bankrupt government should see what happens when it continues to keep it's citizens ignorant and hungry. Let's hope Putin wises up before he has to find out first hand what a Molotov Cocktail can do.

Censorship explicitly prohibited?: Croatia

According to the report on Croatia by the Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), “the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia guarantees to all citizens freedom of expression.” Censorship, it states, is “explicitly prohibited.” (See Croatian Constitution, Provision 38.) However, is this actually practiced?

In addition to the arrest of a man who created a Facebook group criticizing the prime minister, attacks on journalists, both violent and non-violent, have plagued Croatia in recent months. The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) lists several fatal attacks on and death threats directed towards journalists. For example, in October, one of Croatia’s top investigative journalists, Ivo Pukanic, and the marketing director of the leading investigative news paper were killed when a bomb exploded under Pukanic’s car.

These incidents are usually not the work of the government, but what about the government has fostered such behaviors? Are the people responsible being adequately punished? Or are the actions of the government (see Facebook arrest) consequently encouraging terrorist attacks?

IFEX believes that Croatia, motivated by their desire to join the European Union, has made improvements in human rights, but clearly has a long way to go. It will be fascinating to monitor Croatia’s progress (or not).

-- Ellen Leto