Elena Kostyuchenko, Reporter for the Novaya Gazeta
« The Novaya Gazeta continues to engage in communicating the truth to its readers and no assassin will ever be able to change that. »
On Tuesday, October 20th, during an extraordinary evening in Paris’ City Hall, we paid tribute to Anna Politkovskaya in a video conference with Elena Milashina of the Novaya Gazeta (Nobel Peace Prize winner) in Moscow, and Alexander Tcherkassov, President of the Memorial association, who had come especially from Russia. The program included a round table discussion on free speech in Russia moderated by Marie Mendras and Michel Eltchaninoff, some readings by Mathieu Amalric from the prison journal of Alexey Navalny, a tribute by Galia Ackerman to Anna Politkovskaya, and a presentation by Johann Bihr of Ils font vivre le journalisme en Russie, a book published by Les Petits Matins, a partner of ours.
During the evening, we gave the floor to local associations and Russian journalists who, although currently harassed and submitted to Kafkian administrative control, still resist and pursue their fight for freedom of the press. Despite a veil of silence that’s become more and more oppressive, they risk their lives to report on the realities of their country.
On this occasion, we screened a profile of Elena Kostyuchenko, who has been a journalist with the Novaya Gazeta for 15 years and whose vocation came to light in 2006 through articles by Anna Politkovskaya. The film, directed by Maxime Daniélou, a volunteer in our association, was shot some weeks before we learned that Dmitry Muratov, the editor-in-chief of the Novaya Gazeta, would receive the Nobel Peace Prize for the admirable work and combat conducted by his editorial board. Elena Kostyuchenko is seen here as the heir to Anna Politkovskaya’s legacy of free speech and she delivers a very strong and poignant testimony that we share with you.
Flore de Borde
NB : The evening was organized by the Russie Liberté association in partnership with Les Nouveaux Dissidents, Amnesty International France, the Revue Esprit, the FIDH, Reporters sans frontières, and publisher Les Petits Matins.
Translation : Sally Gordon-Mark
