Aimee Liu and Deborah Jones presented a tribute to the slain journalist at last night’s Pen USA dinner.

They wrote:

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya did not have to die. The child of diplomats in the Brezhnev era, she could have made a career of ease. The mother of two, she could have stayed home without questioning the war her government was fighting in her name. Even within her chosen profession, she could have stayed safe by reporting the news approved by Putin’s administration.

If she had taken the easy way she likely would not have been gunned down in her apartment elevator last October 7. But she also would not be the Anna Politkovskaya we mourn today.

We first met Anna in 2001 while working with PEN International, an organization dedicated to defending endangered writers worldwide. A seasoned journalist covering the war in Chechnya, Politkovskaya had been receiving threats since 1999 as a result of her reports on human rights abuses committed by Russian armed forces. In 2004 she survived an attempted poisoning. A few months ago her car was attacked.

But Anna refused to be intimidated.

Aimee shared the tribute with us today. Read more about Anna Politkovskaya, along with reader comments, at the Huffington Post.