( Interfax ) - A final and complete solution to the murder of Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya is a matter of crucial significance for the government and for society, Russian human rights commissioner Vladimir Lukin said.
"It is of crucial importance for the public and for the state to have this murder cleared up," Lukin told Interfax on Sunday.
"Establishing the names of the organizers of the murder is the key thing, which has yet to be done. Society, the country and the world public are awaiting the final results of the investigation," he said.
"It was the murder of a person who symbolized sharp opposition and, simultaneously, a keen sense of independence. An environment has formed in which the government has a big stake in getting the issue cleared up," Lukin said.
"Society wants to know who stands behind the murder, because society must know where the threat to journalists comes from. Where is it rooted? Is it a series of separate events or a tendency? If it is a tendency, what is its cause? These questions have yet to be answered," he said.
Law enforcement agencies have announced several arrests made in the Politkovskaya murder case, he said. Anna Politkovskaya's relatives and Novaya Gazeta editors agree with how the investigation is proceeding, which is important," he added.
"One more question. Do investigative journalists feel any safer? It would be premature to give an answer to this question. Thank God, nothing of this kind has happened this year. But no vivid evidence is available thus far suggesting that the situation is improving," Lukin said.