The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says it is shocked by last week's murder of a Russian newspaper editor.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, says this latest attack against press freedom in Russia again raises serious concerns about the state of free media in the country.
Mr. Duve says he agrees with the assessment of Russia's interior minister Boris Gryzlov that the murder of Alexei Sidorov was a deliberate act of terror against the independent mass media.
Mr. Sidorov was knifed to death outside his home in the city of Togliatti, in the Volga River region. He was the editor of the Togliatti Observer, known for its investigations into corruption and organized crime in the city that is home to one of Russia's leading automakers. His predecessor at the paper was murdered less than two years ago.
Authorities say there are no suspects so far in either killing.