Convicted Murderer of Russian Journalist Pardoned After Serving in Ukraine

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov's Release Sparks Controversy Amid Reports of Pardoning Scheme for Convicts

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, a former Moscow police officer convicted for the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, has been pardoned after volunteering to fight in Ukraine.
Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014 for organizing the 2006 shooting of Politkovskaya, a critic of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Khadzhikurbanov's pardon is part of a controversial scheme where convicts are promised pardons if they fight for six months on the front lines in Ukraine.
Politkovskaya’s former employer, Noyava Gazeta, and her children have issued a statement calling the pardon 'a monstrous injustice and arbitrariness, an outrage against the memory of a person killed for her convictions and the performance of her professional duty.'
Khadzhikurbanov is not the first convict to be pardoned under this scheme, sparking controversy both within Russia and abroad.