Slain Russian Rights Activist

Russian human rights activist kidnapped, killed CNN — A leading human rights activist was abducted and killed in Russia Wednesday, the organization she worked for told CNN. Natalya Estemirova, of the Russian human rights group Memorial, was kidnapped outside her home in Grozny, Chechnya, Oleg Orlov said, citing eyewitness reports. click to read complete article

The murder of Natalia Estemirova is a dire warning Telegraph UK — Our Russia research team say there used to be three key people when it came to uncovering human rights abuses in Chechnya - the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the lawyer Stanislav Markelov, and the human rights researcher Natalia Estemirova. In the space of less than three years, they’ve all now been murdered. These pivotal people supplied Amnesty with valuable information about Chechnya as well as neighbouring republics like Ingushetia, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkari. click to read complete article

Lawyers, activists and reporters killed in Russia Associated Press — Some recent high-profile slayings of activists, reporters and lawyers who have challenged Russian authorities in recent years. There have been no convictions in any of the following killings. July 15, 2009: Natalya Estemirova — a human rights activist who was found shot dead in Ingushetia after being kidnapped in Chechnya earlier in the day. She was 50. click to read complete article