Two of the five men convicted of the 2006 murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya have been sentenced to life imprisonment, according to Interfax news agency.<br /><br />A Moscow judge found Rustam Makhmudov guilty of pulling the trigger in the shooting, while his uncle Lom-Ali Gaitukayev organised the logistics.<br /><br />But the mastermind behind the killing remains at large, as Investigative Committee spokesperson Vladimir Markin explained.<br /><br />“The investigative committee continues its work to find out who ordered the murder. Unfortunately, a lot depends on our foreign colleagues, especially in Great Britain and Turkey. We’ve made a number of inquiries, but have not yet received a response.”<br /><br />A video was released, believed to show Politkovskaya being followed prior to being killed.<br /><br />Makhmudov’s two brothers were sentenced to 12 and 14 years for helping with the tracking, while the fifth, a former police officer, was given 20 years for helping to prepare the murder.<br /><br />Politkovskaya was gunned down in her apartment building. She was 48.<br /><br />Her work focussed on uncovering state corruption and rights abuses and her untimely death raised international alarm over the perils of criticising the Kremlin.
