What does Han Solo have in. common With the deceased of Preston?
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Anna Politkovskaya
Edinburgh vigil for Po itkovskaya
Amnesty to request investigation into death of Russian journalist. Words: Allan Radcliffe
he Scottish branch of Amnesty International is to
hold a vigil ill memory of Anna Politkovskaya in
the capital. The campaigning Russian journalist and tenacious critic ol‘ President Vladimir Putin. was shot dead in the stairwell ol’ her apartment earlier this month.
Often referred to as ‘Russia‘s lost moral conscience'. Politkovskaya worked as a special correspondent for the newspaper Nol'uyu (iuzctu. Widely respected for her coverage of the war in Chechnya. the writer was recruited as a negotiator by the Russian government during the 2002 siege of a Moscow theatre by (‘hecben separatists.
ller 200-1 book. Putin '5‘ Russia. portrayed the Russian president ‘without the rapture‘. depicting a leader intolerant of dissent and cavalier about civil liberties. It is thought she was on the verge ol~ publishing a damning history ol‘ alleged abductions and torture by government forces in (‘hechnya when she was murdered.
'l'he vigil will take place at 2pm on Tuesday 24 October. outside the Russian (‘onstllate (ieneral at 58
Melville Street in lidinburgh. Amnesty officials will hand in a letter to the (‘onstll—(ieneral. requesting a thorough investigation into the journalile death.
[Edinburgh International Book l’estival director
(‘atherine Lockerbie paid warm tribute to l’olitktwskaya. whom she invited to speak on the opening day of the 2005 festival. ‘She was a campaigning journalist and writer of immense integrity and personal courage. I invited her to the Book Festival otlt of admiration for her
total commitment to the truth. her refusal to back oil
even when severely threatened and because the festival
will always uphold the inviolable principle ol‘ l'reedom ol‘
expression for writers. I had thought that increasing exposure ill the west would help to protect her but clearly was sadly mistakenf
Book Festival organisers hope to post an audio file of Politkovskaya‘s memorable 2005 event. in which she details her work investigating human rights abuses in Chechnya. at www.cdbooklest.co.uk soon.
www.amnesty.org.uk
VOTE FOR THE BEST (AND WORST) SCOTTISH SINGLES
I That age-old, heated pub argument about whether the best seven-inch record to hail from north of the border is The Proclaimers’ ‘500 Miles’ or Andy Cameron’s ‘Ally’s Tartan Army’ is about to be definitively settled. Music website www.jocknroll.co.uk has launched an online poll encouraging its users to nail their colours to the mast in an effort to discover the best ever Scottish single. Music lovers can read the rules and register their perfect ten by emailing votes@jocknroll.co.uk, listing ten favourite Scottish singles (including a personal number one) as well as a nod for ‘Worst Scottish Single of All Time’. Any additional comments will be featured on the website. (AR)
Edinburgh’s cultural life is set for further upheaval with the announcement of a pair of major renovation projects, as Allan Radcliffe reports.
After months of wrangling. the City of Edinburgh comicil's planning committee has green-lit the £200 million ‘Caltongate' development. The controversial proposal will see the area around the old New Street bus depot transformed to accommodate a new public square, more than 200 new homes. a conference centre with a bridge linking it to a five star hotel, bars. restaurants and cafes. As reported in The List earlier this year. energetic members of the Save our Old Town campaign (ehBorguk) are worried that the development will lead to several listed buildings being demolished. These may include the Old Sailor's Ark and the Canongate Venture building. while it is also feared that the view from Jeffrey Street to Calton Hill will be obscured.
Meanwhile. on the other side of the capital. the Usher Hall is to close at the end of next year‘s Edinburgh Festival while it undergoes a major re— development in the form of a glass extension, housing a cafe-bar. box office and hospitality suites. The closure will affect the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) which had planned to stage 19 concerts at the flagship concert venue. which will re-open in August 2008.
it) Oct 2 Nov 2000 THE LIST 7