Lord Rea invites journalists and friends to join in a Tribute to Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist who was murdered in a contract killing in an elevator at the entrance of her apartment block in Moscow on Saturday 7th October 2006. It will be held at the House of Lords at 2.30pm on 13th October 2006. You are also invited to join a laying of flowers in memory of Anna at Westminster Abbey led by Canon Jane Hedges and Vanessa Redgrave prior to the Tribute.

Date: Friday 13th October 2006 Time & Place: 1.30pm laying of flowers in memory of Anna Politkovskaya at the Innocent Victims Memorial at the West Door of Westminster Abbey (gather at West Door at 1.15pm) led by Canon Jane Hedges and Vanessa Redgrave.

Time & Place: 2.30pm, Committee Room 3, House of Lords – A Tribute to Anna Politkovskaya

Host: Lord Rea (Patron & Director – Save Chechnya Campaign)

Speakers: John Dear, General Secretary of National Union of Journalists Bill Bowring – European Human Rights Advocacy Centre Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP – Liberal Democrat European Justice Spokeswoman Andrei Nekrasov, Russian film director Vanessa Redgrave Akhmed Zakaev – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Chechen Republic CRI Saida Sherif – Chairperson, Save Chechnya Campaign

Lord Rea says: “Anna Politkovskaya’s death is a tragic loss for freedom of speech in Russia. She represented the best of investigative journalism, and I invite all those who admired her work and her courage to join us on Friday.”

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Enquiries: Victoria Sabin/Heidi Mallace, Project Associates, on +44 20 7432 3216 or email victoria@projectassociatesltd.com or heidi@projectassociatesltd.com. At Westminster Abbey, Duncan Jeffery Tel 0207 654 4888 or email Duncan.jeffrey@westminster-abbey.org.