Moscow Journalist Buried

Ivan Safronov, the Moscow journalist who recently died following a fall from his 5th storey apartment block, has been buried.

Safronov, aged 51, was the latest in a long line of journalists to die in suspicious circumstances after making damaging reports about the state of Russia, embarrassing to the Kremlin.

He was said to be preparing a report on Russian arms sales to Iran and Syria when he died last friday. Suicide has been touted as a possible cause of death, but friends and colleagues have stated that Safronov had exhibited no signs of depression in the days leading up to his untimely death. Although a full investigation is expected, whether this will reveal anything is quite another matter.

According to the International News Safety Institute 88 journalists have been killed in Russia in the last ten years, making the former USSR the second most dangerous country to be a reporter after Iraq.

In fact many would say that only the economics of Russia has changed since Communism with democracy and freedom of speech still regarded by the powers that be as foreign concepts.