In Moscow, thousands of people gathered Tuesday for the funeral of the journalist and human rights advocate Anna Politkovskaya. Politkovskaya was shot dead as she returned home to her apartment on Saturday. She was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and the Chechen war.

• Unidentified mourner: “Of course we are experiencing limitless grief. I think this is the main sensation we are feeling now. Such a character, she was. Anna Politkovskaya could be called a conscience of the nation.

The murder has brought international condemnation and renewed scrutiny on freedom of the press in Russia. Many believe Politkovskaya was killed for her outspoken opposition to President Vladimir Putin. On Tuesday, Putin dismissed her political activity as a motive in the killing.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin: “I would like to underline that whoever committed this crime, and whatever their motives, we should assess this crime, repulsive by its nature. Certainly it should not remain unpunished. The motives could be very different, indeed this journalist was a sharp critic of current power in Russia but journalists should understand and experts know that the level of her influence on political life in the country was insignificant, she was more known in media circles and in human rights circles, in the west, but I repeat that the influence on the political life in the country was minimal.”