Anna
Politkovskaya (born Anna Mazepa) was a Russian journalist and political activist
who gained international attention with her reports about human rights abuses
in Chechnya. Anna's parents were both Soviet Ukranian diplomats to the United
Nations and Anna grew up in Moscow, majoring in journalism at Moscow State University.
As a professional journalist, Anna was outspoken in her defense of human rights
and criticism of the Russian government's role in human rights abuses in Chechnya.
She advocated for the legal rights of victims and helped to negotiate the release
of hostages in Chechnya several times. Anna received many death threats during
her life, but continued to write articles and books to raise awareness about the
injustice she observed, until she was assassinated. Her death brought an outcry
from within Russia and around the world for governments to do more to protect
journalists and defend freedom of the press.
