In late July 2018 three Russian journalists, Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguev and Orkhan Dzhemal were murdered in the Central African Republic while investigating Wagner, a private Russian mercenary group reported to be overseen by catering magnate Evgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian President Putin and the head of the infamous Troll Factory.

In response to this tragedy, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of Open Russia pro-democracy movement, Amnesty International-recognized prisoner of conscience, and Putin’s most prominent critic and his former business partner, philanthropist and a member of The Standing Committee of the Free Russia Forum Leonid Nevzlin established Justice for Journalists, a foundation set up in order to investigate violent crimes against journalists who have been targeted as a result of their professional duties.

The vast majority of murders of journalists remain unpunished, and there currently exists no international mechanism for pursuing and obtaining justice. This is a call to action, and this foundation is a pathway to justice.

Freedom of the press and democracy vitally depend on one another. As the bonds of trust between society, governments and traditional forms of media decline across the world, it is vital that important investigative work is protected, and that those who wish to silence independent journalism are brought to account.

An initial sum of five million dollars has been pledged by Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Leonid Nevzlin towards the future work of Justice for Journalists Foundation. The Foundation is run by an advisory board and a network of experts and investigators, drawing from a wide range of renowned professionals in a variety of fields. Those who have already agreed to become a part of the Foundation are listed below: