U.S. to focus attention on Politkovskaya murder investigation

The United States will continue to focus attention on the investigation into the murder of Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya, the U.S. Department of State said."We will continue to focus attention on Ms. Politkovskaya's case as well as the cases those of Paul Klebnikov and other brave journalists who have been killed in Russia," a State Department spokesperson said. The statement comes after Russian investigators announced the detention of Lt Col Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov on Tuesday. He is suspected of organizing the shooting of the journalist, who won international acclaim for her investigations into human rights abuses in Chechnya, and supplying the killer with a weapon. "Anna Politkovskaya shined a light on human rights abuses and the misery of war, especially in Chechnya. She stood for what is best in independent journalism by giving a voice to victims, and illuminating the truth," the U.S. Department of State said. Politkovskaya was shot dead in her apartment building in Moscow on then-President Vladimir Putin's birthday in 2006.The suspected killer, Rustam Makhmudov, was detained in Chechnya in May. His two brothers, Dzhabrail and Ibragim, have been accused of driving him to and from the murder scene. Another former police officer, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, has been accused of helping to set up the murder. All three were tried and acquitted for lack of evidence in 2009. The verdict was later overturned by Russia's Supreme Court, which ordered a retrial.