Politkovskaya's diary published

Last Modified: 20 Mar 2007
By: Sue Turton

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, whose final diary is about to be published, was brave and fearless in her pursuit of truth.

In life Anna Politkovskaya was brave beyond belief. The Russian journalist reported on a gruesome war and a creeping dictatorship with a sharp pen and steel nerves.

In death her fearless pursuit of the truth continues. A diary she completed just before she was murdered last October is about to be published.

The diary is a pitiless report on corruption in Russia. On the eve of its release, Channel 4 News has spoken exclusively to her sister, Elena.

Gunned down in the lobby to her flat last October, her apartment was searched, her computer files taken.

But hidden was her last manuscript. As her friends mourned her death, her last book was spirited out of Moscow. It chronicles Putin's re-election. And it pulls no punches.

Reporting from Chechnya, Politkovskaya wore local dress, took her glasses off in spite of being very short-sighted, and risked her life. She was passed a video shot by a Russian soldier of Chechen soldiers who've surrendered to Federal troops.

In the last chapter, entitled Am I Afraid?, she talks about how she believes millions of the poor in Russia will die if the country's economic and political policies continue.

'If anybody thinks they can take comfort from the optimistic forecast, let them do so... but it is also a death sentence for our grandchildren.'
Anna Politkovskaya

And she reacts to criticism that she's not optimistic enough about Russia: "If anybody thinks they can take comfort from the optimistic forecast, let them do so. It is certainly the easier way, but it is also a death sentence for our grandchildren."

Anna's daughter got pregnant last autumn. She promised her children that as soon as a grandchild was born, she would stop writing about the war in Chechnya and would write about something more pleasant.

But that never happened. Anna was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment building on 7 October 2006. Her grandchild was born nine days ago.