On the fifth anniversary of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s death, human rights organizations organized a commemoration evening in the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

According to the magazine “DOSH“, on October 7, 2011, while the fans of “Putin’s patriotic club” were noisily celebrating the 59th birthday of their hero, driving around town in cars with Russian flags and portraits of Russia’s last czar Putin; the representatives of local non-governmental organizations quietly commemorated the fifth anniversary of the death of their colleague, their sister in the battlefield: Anna Politkovskaya.

The evening in the capital of Grozny was organized by the human rights organization “Mothers of Chechnya”, the “Caucasus Initiative Center” and the magazine “DOSH”. Representatives from various non-governmental organizations like the “Women’s Dignity”, the Human Rights Center “Memorial”, the “Committee Against Torture”, and mostly the mothers of abducted young Chechens participated in the evening. About forty people crowded a small room to express their grief once again. A documentary movie about Anna was also shown during the evening.

“It has been already five years, but the pain doesn’t subside,” said Madina Magomadova, head of the human rights organization “Mothers of Chechnya”.

“Anna sacrificed her life for the truth about the war in Chechnya, and it is our duty to do everything so that Chechens always remember her,” said Libkhan Bazayeva, head of the organization “Women’s Dignity”.

“Anna was my sister who was always there and who supported me after my three sons were taken one after the other by Russian federal agents,” said 57 year old Urus-Martan resident, Zainap Batalova. “At the rallies, when we started to cry, she cried with us. In early days of the 2000s, Anna, along with all the mothers of abducted youths went to the building where the commandant of the Russian troops was, to demand the return of their illegally abducted sons,” she said with emotion.

*Text was translated by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco