IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 151 

Noting the disturbing pattern of killings of dozens of independent journalists 

in Russia over the last decade, and calling on Russian President Vladimir 

Putin to authorize cooperation with outside investigators in solving those 

murders. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2007 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. 

FORTENBERRY, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. BURTON of 

Indiana, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Ms. WATSON, 

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. RENZI, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. WELDON

of Florida, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. 

MCCOTTER, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mrs. 

MUSGRAVE, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. 

MANZULLO, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. POE, Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina, Mr. 

HERGER, and Mr. GALLEGLY) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Noting the disturbing pattern of killings of dozens of independent journalists in Russia over the last decade, and 

calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to authorize 

cooperation with outside investigators in solving those 

murders. 

Whereas Paul Klebnikov, the editor of the Russian version of 

Forbes Magazine who was investigating suspect business 


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•HCON 151 IH 

dealings and corruption cases in Russia, was shot to 

death in Moscow on July 9, 2004; 

Whereas Mr. Klebnikov’s murder remains unsolved; 

Whereas Anna Politkovskaya, an acclaimed Russian journalist and human rights activist who wrote numerous articles critical of Russia’s prosecution of the war in 

Chechnya, of human rights abuses by the Russian Government, and of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was 

shot to death in Moscow on October 7, 2006; 

Whereas Ms. Politkovskaya’s murder remains unsolved; 

Whereas Ivan Safronov, a military affairs reporter for the 

Russian newspaper ‘‘Kommersant’’ who wrote articles 

criticizing the failure of Russian military programs and 

who was planning to report on potential Russian arms 

sales to Middle Eastern countries, including to state 

sponsors of terrorism Iran and Syria, died in mysterious 

circumstances, falling five stories from a window in the 

stairwell of his apartment building in Moscow on March 

2, 2007; 

Whereas Russian prosecutors subsequently suggested that 

Mr. Safronov may have committed suicide, although he 

left no suicide note and had just bought fresh fruit prior 

to his death; 

Whereas the cause of Mr. Safronov’s death remains undetermined; 

Whereas according to the International News Safety Institute, close to 90 reporters were murdered in Russia between January 1996 and the present and a great many 

of those murders remain unsolved; 

Whereas according to the International News Safety Institute, over the period of the last ten years Russia holds 


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•HCON 151 IH 

the second position in the world in the number of journalists killed; 

Whereas a number of those reporters who were murdered had 

reported on alleged corruption, malfeasance, and other 

controversies at the federal, provincial, and local levels of 

Government in Russia; 

Whereas a number of those murdered had reported on alleged 

human rights abuses by the Russian Government; 

Whereas a number of those murdered had reported on the 

Russian Government’s conduct of the war in Chechnya, 

which has involved numerous allegations of gross human 

rights violations and corruption; and 

Whereas according to the President of the International 

News Safety Institute, ‘‘murder has become the easiest, 

cheapest and most effective way of silencing troublesome 

reporting, and the more the killers get away with it the 

more the spiral of death is forced upwards’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recalls the essential role that transparency 

4 and the free flow of information play in creating and 

5 preserving democratic institutions and civil society in 

6 any country; 

7 (2) recognizes the vital contribution made by 

8 independent journalists in Russia in bringing trans9 parency and a free flow of information to readers 


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•HCON 151 IH 

1 after decades of Communist censorship and repres2 sion; 

3 (3) notes the disturbing trend of murders of 

4 independent journalists in Russia over the last dec5 ade; 

6 (4) encourages the President of the United 

7 States to formally offer Russian President Vladimir 

8 Putin and other officials of the Russian Government 

9 United States Government law enforcement inves10 tigative assistance to help identify and bring to jus11 tice those responsible for the many unsolved mur12 ders of journalists in Russia during the past decade; 

13 and 

14 (5) urges President Putin to seek out com15 petent, outside law enforcement assistance in the in16 vestigation of the unsolved murders of numerous 

17 independent journalists in Russia. 

Æ 


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