So, Gotham's got issues, and among the worst are the intense levels of corruption in the criminal justice system, which prevents people from acting independent of the controlling forces (in Gotham's case, organized crime). And due to his mysterious identity, Batman is able to fight the corruptive forces, and be a figure that is either trusted or blamed, depending on what people need at the time.
Can Gotham lend him to Russia for a while? They've got intense levels of corruption, and it appears that their criminal justice system isn't on the best road, now that controversial lawyers appear to be riding in the same boat as the journalists.
CPJ confirms that of 41 journalists killed for their work in 2008, two were killed in Russia (they also acknowledge two unconfirmed cases). 49 journalists have been killed in Russia since 1992.
Well, we're not even out of January, and one Новая Газета (Novaya Gazeta) journalist, Anastasia Baburova, has been killed already, in conjunction with the murder of Stanislav Markelov, a defense attorney known for representing anti-Kremlin parties (like journalists, Chechen civilians and suspected terrorists - the sort of people who otherwise would not have a fair trial), who was "shot dead in broad daylight in downtown Moscow on January 19" (RFE/RL "Are Russia's Lawyers in the Crosshairs?, 25/01/09). Way to kick off the new year.
I think part of the reason that I love Russia so much is that I love the spirit of their people. It is incredibly inspiring that even while Russia keeps killing it's journalists because of their work, Russian reporters keep on reporting.
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