IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists described the killing of Anna Politkovskaya as a "shocking outrage that will stun journalists across the world". The IFJ said the killing reflected a state of lawlessness that threatened to overwhelm Russian journalism.
"The Russian authorities must carry out an urgent and intensive investigation. We need to know who killed our colleague and who ordered the attack in the first place," said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary.
"Her courage and professionalism have made her a heroic figure in journalistic and human rights circles," he said. "Her death is a tragedy for her young family and for everyone who knew her, but it also highlights the desperate and fragile state of democracy in modern Russia."