Politkovskaya's children treat Khadjikurbanov's release as abuse of her memory

The pardoning of Sergey Khadjikurbanov, convicted of killing Anna Politkovskaya, for his participation in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, is evidence of injustice and voluntarism, Anna's children and the editorial board of the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Sergey Khadjikurbanov, a former law enforcer, sentenced to 20 years for involvement in the 2006 murder of Politkovskaya, was released early after taking part in the SMO in Ukraine.

Anna Politkovskaya's children, Vera and Ilya, and the "Novaya Gazeta" have issued a statement in connection with Sergey Khadjikurbanov's pardoning. "Neither the suffered party, nor the editorial board were informed about the murderer's pardoning. Just same as they don't report how they are looking for other killers – and above all, for the customer. It's because they are not searching for them. It’s because they are being sheltered," says the Telegram channel of the "Novaya Gazeta".

"For us, this 'pardoning' is not evidence of killer's atonement and repentance. This is ... an outrage against the memory of the person killed for her convictions and the performance of her professional duties," the statement says.

The authors of the statement have emphasized that by pardoning the killer, authorities have shown their weakness.

Alexander Politkovsky, Anna's ex-husband, has also reacted sharply negatively to the message about Khadjikurbanov's pardoning and opposed the release of those convicted of especially grave crimes, the radio station "Moscow Speaks" reports.