To mark the anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s murder on 7th October 2006, and to honour Anna and other women like her in the world, RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in WAR) annually presents the Anna Politkovskaya Award to a woman human rights defender from a conflict zone in the world who, like Anna, stands up for the victims of this conflict, often at great personal risk. Anna lived a life of courage and truth-telling in the face of grave danger, just like her friend and the first recipient of the Anna Politkovskaya Award, Natalia Estemirova, who was murdered on 15 July 2009.

Anna Politkovskaya,  the campaigning Russian journalist and outspoken govern­ment critic, exposed the brutal treatment of civilians in Chechnya at the hands of both the Russian forces and the Moscow-supported Chechen of­ficials. No closer to having her assassin brought to justice, years on, the Russian authorities remain reluctant and show no political will to identify who ordered the killing and to see justice done.

The Anna Politkovskaya Award by year: 

• 2012 Marie Colvin (the United States)
• 2011 Razan Zaitouneh (Syria) 
• 2010 Dr.Halima Bashir (Darfur/Sudan)
• 2009 One Million Signatures Campaign (Iran)
• 2008 Malalai Joya (Afghanistan)
• 2007 Natalia Estemirova (Chechnya/Russia)

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