The last was a top official, he was fighting successfully against crimes in an important branch of economy
Politkovskaya reported on alleged crimes committed by Russian military in Chechnya. Did they commit crimes? Probably. Do I care? No. Given the situation that was in Chechnya it was natural whatever European arm chair moralists cry out. They don't know who the Chechens are, that there have been war and no effective law enforcing, they have forgotten that the Chechens terrorists routinely kidnapped Western (and Russian, of course) nationals after 1995 for ransom, that they tryed to invade Russian Dagestan after a peace treaty that they tried to install the Sharia law in Chechnya. They also forgot how the Chechen terrorist treated non-Chechen population in the beginning of the nineties and so called "Chechen avizo" story, Chechen slave-owning and etc.
Kadyrov's authority and governing practice exactly fits the the Chechens. The Putin's policy in Chechnya could be erroneous because everyone can make mistakes but definitily not stupid.
Some people just don't understand that sometimes you MUST kill and oppress because they're used to live in a "garden".
That's why they are ready to support Chechens, and Politkovskaya-like journalists who always write in favor of Chechens.
When they think of Chechens, they are forgetting about WOTcrusade, they stop thinking that Chechens are same muslims they are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. That they are even financed from same source.
Those people are sure Chechens are good freedom fighters against the Evil Russia and Politkovskaya is their prophet.