Putin says reporter killing was 'disgustingly cruel,' downplays her work

It is simply impossible to take Vladimir Putin seriously on issues of press freedom, or any freedoms. I have watched the business scandals of the past few years unfold here in the U.S. with a growing realization that our independent press protects us in almost unimaginable ways, in ways that the government simply cannot, due to its insufficient reach. Putin is saying the right things. He needs to start acting:

Speaking after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin described Saturday's attack on Anna Politkovskaya as 'this disgustingly cruel crime which must not go unpunished, whoever committed it, and whatever motive they were pursuing.'

Politkovskaya, a sharp critic of Putin and the conduct of Russia's war in Chechnya, was found shot dead at her Moscow apartment building.

Putin said the killers had done the Russian government no favor. The killing 'inflicts much greater damage to the government than any of her writing,' he said.

Politkovskaya's death has sparked an international outcry about restrictions on press freedoms in Russia.

Link: Putin says reporter killing was 'disgustingly cruel,' downplays her work - iht,europe,Germany Russia Journalist Killed - Europe - International Herald Tribune