If murder won't work, try crying libel

The government's statement that the killer has been found and is already in prison seems a little too convenient to most observers of the case, especially following on the heels of a story in the London-based Independent uncovering new evidence that Kuchma sought to impede the investigation.

The prosecutor's official announcement of a break in the case has been eyed askance by international watchdog groups. "We urge the prosecution to pursue every lead in the case and to investigate fully allegations involving President Kuchma," said Ann Cooper, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, in a statement.

"We do not know who killed Gongadze, but we know there have been serious failures in the way that the case has been investigated," writes Simon Pirani, chairman of the London Freelance branch of the National Union of Journalists, in an e-mail. "If Gongadze's killers get away with it, this will be a green light to bullies and dictators all over Europe to kill journalists as and when they please. The assassination of the investigative journalist Paul Klebnikov in Moscow last week shows that the danger persists."

The atmosphere for journalism in Ukraine is becoming ever more stifling, as witnessed by the recent closing of two radio stations. "We just feel the grip around the media is getting tighter and tighter," Ognianova says. "It just seems as if the government is trying to stifle opposition voices right around election."

Does that make Prytula apprehensive about going back to Ukraine after her lengthy sojourn in the United States? Is she afraid for her own life?

Absolutely not. "I'm not afraid of death," she says. "Georgi's death taught me that that I have to enjoy every moment of my life, because it maybe the very last second."

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