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Let's take care of people

interview to Vitalij Jaroshevskij

Vitalij Jaroshevskij

Vitalij Jaroshevskij

On the occasion of the inauguration in Milan of a garden honoring Anna Politkovskaja, Gariwo interviewed Vitalij Jaroshevskij, Deputy director of Novaja Gazeta, the newspaper where she worked. We talked about freedom of expression and the teaching that Anna left to the world.

What is the importance of dedicating a garden to the memory of Anna Politkovskaja?

First of all, I’d like to thank Italian people, because for the memory of Anna Politkovskaja make more than Russian. In Moscow they dedicate streets to different people, but they can’t dedicate not even an ally to Anna Politkovskaja. She was a thorny journalist, and as people thorny for the power do, she became more troublesome after her death. This is a political operation, and where the politic starts, the memory ends. But memory can’t be advantageous o disadvantageous for someone: the memory is memory.
There are lots of obstacles to the memory of Anna. In the house where she lived there is a plaque that remembers what happened, but it isn’t an official monument.
At least authorities gave us the permission to place, next October, a plaque in her honor in the seat of Novaja Gazeta, where she worked. But this is too little, because it will be the only official place to remember Anna.
The memory is a complex operation, and it is a huge responsibility. However her example is important also for people who live far from Moscow, work in war zones or live in dramatic situations.
And I think that Milan had been able to undertake this process of memory.
I am very grateful to you, because you are doing what I would like to do...And I am here to thank you also in behalf of journalists and readers of the Novaja Gazeta.

How Russian media told the story of Anna’s death? And the process against her murderers?

In Russia they did not and they don’t show anything. The memory is always linked to interests, and we saw that also on the occasion of Anna’s killing. After hr death Russian journalists told her story like a simple news, not like a catastrophe, and this initial interest early evaporated, after few weeks.
The behaviour of foreign media was different. For the year following Anna’s death they came to tell her story. We met the New York Times, El Pais, La Repubblica, the CNN, also the Mongolian television. I met the journalists to answer their questions, and I can say that it was not only professional interest, but instead something deeper: there was a great feeling, a great enthusiasm in what they were doing.
I can’t say the same thing for Russian colleagues. I had the impression that in my country for a journalist talking about deaths is an element that discredit the profession.

After her death, is something changed in Russia, particularly in the media?

Nothing important. After Anna’s death other 3 journalists have been killed. Two of them worked on anti-fascist movements, and were murdered for this reason. This in an unexplainable event... A short time ago I thought that in Russia could not be fascists or nazis, but now I know that they are present, and they kill.
The third murdered journalist, Natalia Estemirova, worked on Cecenia, like Anna did. And she found her death precisely in that country.
It clear that all these murders are demonstrative, they want to create terror.
Regarding the situation of the Novaja Gazeta, we did not take fright. Actually, after Anna’s death nobody thought to leave the staff. But not everyone reacts in this way.
Killing journalists is the more extreme form of censorship, but in Russia there are more subtle means to limit the freedom of expression, like pressures on newspapers, or economic problems in financing rags.

Regarding this aspect, the law that forbids the NGOs to receive foreign aid, is a strong obstacle to the freedom of expression and to the dissent. How did the protest in Russia change?

The protest movements remains weak, there aren’t true leaders able to lead people and to persuade them of the strength and efficacy of the movement. So people are scared, because they know that taking part in a demonstration means facing trials and detentions. In these days could be sentenced 30 young people who took part in the last years protests.
During demonstrations there are always disorders between people and policemen, in order to scare people who still protest...And this is surely a successful operation of the political power.
On December 5th, 2011, after parliamentary elections, took place in Moscow, near our seat, a non authorized demonstration. We took part in it, and we saw police using force against people. That day there were 10 thousands people, and in few days - from December 5th to December 10th - they became 100 thousands, someone says 150 thousands. It was a huge mob, made by “high-quality” people. However five days are a short period, and despite the hope given by this great participation, the power payed no attention to our voices. This great process stopped, has not bloomed as we wished.

Are there in Russia the possibility of a “post-Putin” era?

There are single parties against Putin, but they are too weak to create a real opposition movement able to win the elections. However this not means that we have to give up the protest. But we need time, forces, newspapers, people, ideas.

What Anna Politkovskaja can teach to the world? In general, what is her legacy?

Anna defended people. Also in Novaja Gazeta always came people for Anna: mothers who lost their children, fathers who lost their family, families who lost their fathers, very difficult situations.
The first reaction of a journalist is not to face these tragedies, looking for a reason not to take care of it.
Anna did not avodi the suffering of who looked for her help. She not only listened to people, she also tried to save them writing her articles. It was a duty for her helping them. After her death, these people disappeared.
I myself cannot completely understand why she took care of these situations, it is something beyond the journalistic profession. In Novaja Gazeta we always work remembering dead reporters: we made the editorial staff meeting in a room with pictures of murdered journalists. I think that our colleagues are very brave people...But nobody dedicates heart and soul to the search of truth like Anna did.
I believe that the lesson that we can learn from Anna is: let’s take care of people. Following this lesson, I feel that she is still with us, that we did not leave her.

14 June 2013

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