October 7 marks the 20th anniversary of the murder of *Novaya Gazeta* journalist Anna Politkovskaya. While the courts have identified the perpetrators and organizers of the crime, the person who ordered the killing has never been named. The statute of limitations for the case expired in 2021—fifteen years after the murder took place.
In an interview with the Dozhd TV channel, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan assured that Yerevan will not extradite Russians persecuted for political reasons to Moscow.
"Not a single person will be detained or deported to any third country for political reasons. I officially guarantee this," he stated.
Simonyan said that Armenian law enforcement agencies previously released detained Russians after the circumstances were clarified. He also noted that artists declared "foreign agents" in Russia are visiting and performing in Armenia. He cites the case of Vladimir Zhilinsky, coordinator of the "Golos" (Voice) movement for the protection of voters' rights, who was detained in Armenia at the request of the Russian Federation as a "foreign agent" but later released.