Word: estemirova
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Russian opposition leader Maksharip Aushev knew he was taking a risk when he spoke out against corruption in his native Ingushetia, the troubled North Caucasus republic where the body of human-rights worker Natalya Estemirova was discovered in July. But Aushev spoke out anyway--and paid the price for his bravery. On Oct. 25, the 43-year-old businessman, who became a human-rights activist after his son and nephew were reportedly tortured by police in 2007, became the third opposition figure murdered in four months when his car was sprayed with bullets as he traveled to visit relatives. Though...
...This year, Russian human rights group Memorial also accused Kadyrov's regime of being connected to the July murder of human-rights activist Natalya Estemirova in the local media. No charges have been brought against Kadyrov or members of his administration in the case, and he has denied any involvement, telling press that he would investigate the murder. On July 17, Kadyrov's lawyer told Interfax that the president is suing Memorial for defamation. "Considering the cumulative information that is available about Kadyrov's rampant human-rights abuses, it's up to Australians citizens to decide if they want...
...fight for human rights in Russia suffered another devastating blow on July 15, when Natalya Estemirova, Chechnya's most outspoken human-rights activist, was murdered just hours after being kidnapped from outside her home in Grozny, the capital of the troubled republic...
...researcher for the highly respected Russian human-rights organization Memorial, Estemirova, 50, had recently contributed to a Human Rights Watch report that accused the Chechen government of burning more than two dozen homes in punitive attacks against the families of suspected rebels. She also exposed the public execution of a young suspected separatist by a Chechen security officer. "She was fearless, and boldly defended the truth," Shamkhan Akbulatov, head of Memorial in Chechnya, told a Russian news agency. On the day of her murder, Russian human-rights groups released a report, which she had helped research, that exhaustively documented atrocities...
...Estemirova's determined efforts over the past decade to uncover killings, torture, disappearances and kidnappings made her powerful enemies, including Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, the republic's Kremlin-backed President. (Kadyrov released a statement calling Estemirova's killing "monstrous.") She was well aware that her work jeopardized her safety. "In Chechnya, the government creates an atmosphere of fear and mistrust," Estemirova said in 2007 as she accepted a human-rights award. "Those who witness abuse keep silent, for if they speak, they can soon become a victim." By silencing this woman who spoke, her killers have victimized everyone...