The investigation into the killing of Russian journalists in the Central African Republic (CAR) on July 30, 2018, should be completed so that those responsible are brought to justice, Timur Shafir, the vice president of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and secretary of the Russian Union of Journalists, said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) The investigation into the killing of Russian journalists in the Central African Republic (CAR) on July 30, 2018, should be completed so that those responsible are brought to justice, Timur Shafir, the vice president of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and secretary of the Russian Union of Journalists, said.
Three Russian nationals working for an investigative media outlet belonging to Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky � journalist Orkhan Dzhemal, documentary filmmaker Alexander Rastorguyev, and cameraman Kirill Radchenko � were killed in car in 2018. Khodorkovsky's media outlet, Investigations Management Center, confirmed that it had sent the three to the republic to work on a documentary about Russian military instructors allegely operating in the country. Russian investigators believe that the journalists were killed by Arabic-speaking gunmen who wanted to rob the men.
Regardless of the statute of limitations of this crime, both the relatives of the victims and the professional journalistic community "continue to insist that the investigation should be finalized and leave no doubts," Shafir said.
Though quite a long time has passed since the journalists were murdered, there are still no clear answers to a number of questions related to this tragedy, such as who ordered and committed the crime, why the Russian nationals were murdered and how, the IFJ vice president said.
"At the same time, the tragedy ... once again demonstrated the importance � in this case � the key importance of preparing the work of journalists in hot spots of the world, such as the Central African Republic," Shafir noted.
He added that responsibility for the safety of journalists was a vital issue and there is no place for mistakes or reliance on sheer luck in the issue.
