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 Flor-
ida, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina, Mr. 
HERGER, and Mr. GALLEGLY) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Noting the disturbing pattern of killings of dozens of inde-
pendent 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 jour-
nalist and human rights activist who wrote numerous ar-
ticles critical of Russia’s prosecution of the war in 
Chechnya, of human rights abuses by the Russian Gov-
ernment, 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 undeter-
mined; 
Whereas according to the International News Safety Insti-
tute, close to 90 reporters were murdered in Russia be-
tween January 1996 and the present and a great many 
of those murders remain unsolved; 
Whereas according to the International News Safety Insti-
tute, 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 jour-
nalists 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, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) recalls the essential role that transparency 
and the free flow of information play in creating and 
preserving democratic institutions and civil society in 
any country; 
(2) recognizes the vital contribution made by 
independent journalists in Russia in bringing trans-
parency and a free flow of information to readers 
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•HCON 151 IH 
after decades of Communist censorship and repres-
sion; 
(3) notes the disturbing trend of murders of 
independent journalists in Russia over the last dec-
ade; 
(4) encourages the President of the United 
States to formally offer Russian President Vladimir 
Putin and other officials of the Russian Government 
United States Government law enforcement inves-
tigative assistance to help identify and bring to jus-
tice those responsible for the many unsolved mur-
ders of journalists in Russia during the past decade; 
and 
(5) urges President Putin to seek out com-
petent, outside law enforcement assistance in the in-
vestigation of the unsolved murders of numerous 
independent journalists in Russia. 
Æ 
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