Reporters at Politkovskaya paper receive threats

MOSCOW, Nov 27 (Reuters) Two employees at the newspaper where journalist Anna Politkovskaya worked until her murder last month have received death threats, one in connection with the investigation of her killing, the paper said today.

''On 24 Nov. 2006, two senior employees of Novaya Gazeta received death threats,'' the paper said in a statement on its Web site.

''In one case it was in connection with the publication of an article about problems in the North Caucasus and in another in connection with the investigation of the murder of Novaya Gazeta commentator Anna Politkovskaya.'' Politkovskaya, who reported for Novaya Gazeta on human rights abuses in Chechnya and criticised President Vladimir Putin for building an authoritarian political system, was shot dead in her block of flats in central Moscow on October 7.

The Novaya Gazeta statement said one of its employees had received a death threat on his cell phone. It also named the reporter's home address.

Sergei Sokolov, chief editor at Novaya Gazeta, told Reuters he could not comment further because the situation was so delicate. Law enforcement agencies have been informed, he said.

The murder of Politkovskaya drew international condemnation and raised concerns about political stability in Russia.

REUTERS LL RN2038