COMMENTARY: Beyond comprehension - a murder too far

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By Saska Snellman
     
      Political gangsterism in Russia has become an everyday occurrence, but the murder on Saturday of writer-journalist Anna Politkovskaya still had the power to shock. How low and cowardly can one get?
      Freedom of speech is under increasing pressure, even in the West. Every day we read of threats issued with the intent to silence artists, journalists, and thinkers.
     
Finland has managed to remain like some semi-surreal cosy bird's nest amidst the nationalist zealots and the religious fanatics.
      We have - so far- been able to debate openly on such freedom of speech questions as whether the police are entitled to intervene in a demonstration before or after the windows start being smashed.
     
Particularly in the post-war era, Western culture has been marked by a dash of self-doubt about one's own values and a certain kind of intellectual "let's be nice to the guests" approach, a tendency to measure and judge other cultures using more lax criteria. In this respect today's activists have continued in the traditions of the Cold War leftist intelligentsia.
      This kind of intellectual humility-at-home has kept Western societies on their toes and has spurred them forward to do better things.
      But it has its limits.
      And one of them concerns freedom of speech.
     
Russia has been placed in the scales with the "guests", and not that much has been demanded of her.
      The barbaric cruelties of the war in Chechnya, the blackmailing and coercion of neighbouring countries, oppression of minorities at home, or the silencing of the Russian intelligentsia have not hitherto brought crowds of demonstrators onto the streets of Western cities.
     
But now things went beyond the pale. On the night following the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, anguished SMS messages urged people to make their protest. And they did.
      Light a candle for Anna, and for freedom.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 9.10.2006
     
The writer heads Helsingin Sanomat's culture desk.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Halonen hopes journalist murder will be solved before upcoming Putin visit (10.10.2006)
  Finnish reaction to Politkovskaya killing exceptionally strong (10.10.2006)
  More than 1,000 attend vigil for murdered Russian journalist (9.10.2006)

SASKA SAARIKOSKI / Helsingin Sanomat
saska.saarikoski@hs.fi