After this week's murders of its lawyer and a trainee reporter, one of Novaya Gazeta's owners is asking the Russian government for permission to arm its journalists.
The announcement came from Alexander Lebedev (yes, him again) following the shooting of attorney Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova.
Lebedev said: "I think that the FSB [Federal Security Service] and other law enforcement agencies are not carrying out their responsibilities regarding what it happening with Novaya Gazeta. So we have officially submitted documents requesting the right to carry weapons."
The paper's editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, said he supported Lebedev's initiative: "If the state cannot defend us, then we need to defend ourselves. I don't see another option."
Baburova is the paper's fourth journalist to be killed in the past decade and, according to rights watchdog Freedom House, 16 Russian journalists have been killed in contract-style hits since 2000. The cases seldom result in successful prosecutions. (Via Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
