Valery Musin, Russia’s Representative at the European Court of Human Rights has been asked to seek to be removed due to his election to the Council of Directors of Gasprom

The Ministry sees no violation of legislation in the Order which allows a range of enforcement agencies to scrutinize Russians’ correspondence without a court order

A spokesperson for the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations said on Tuesday evening that ENEMO observers would be leaving Moldova in protest at the actions of the authorities

Another human rights activist, Albert Pchelintsev, head of the civic organization, “Against Corruption, Lies, and Dishonour”, was attacked in Khimki near Moscow on Friday evening.

Riot police arrested more than 15 activists of the civic movement “European Belarus” who were planning to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Belarus

In Kazan on 20 July 2009 law enforcement agencies paralyzed the activities of two well-known civic organizations – the interregional human rights organization AGORA and the Kazan Human Rights Centre

On what Russians obliquely term “historical policy”, on a war supposedly defensive but to be waged on foreign territory and against historians and journalists, and on thoughts which no propagandist din will deafen

The video at the URL below is in memory of human rights defender Natalya Estemirova abducted in Chechnya last week and murdered in cold blood. It is not easy viewing, but please try and also pass it on to others.

The European Court of Human Rights found two violations of the right to life regarding the lack of a plausible explanation for the disappearance of Khizir Tepsurkayev and not having carried out an effective investigation

“One has the impression that the Russian authorities are once and for all turning away from their citizens, demonstratively refusing to defend their rights", a Memorial Human Rights Centre representative notes

The statement reads that the experts, if they wish, can help the Russian law enforcement agencies in their investigation by providing any specific information about the crime that they may have

The letter is signed by Yelena Bonner, Vaclav Havel, Desmond Tutu, Andre Glucksmann, Sergei Kovalyov, Tom Stoppard, Zbigniew Brzezinski and many others

The leader of the regional branch of the movement "Justice" has been murdered. His body was found in a sand quarry near Petrozavodsk. He disappeared in May, and in that same month the organization’s Moscow premises were searched by the authorities

The seven experts note that while the Russian authorities have promised to make every effort to find the killers, they have demonstrated their inability over recent years to organize effective and unbiased investigations into the murders of human rights defenders.

The Russian Ministry of Communications has issued an Order which basically abolishes the constitutional right to privacy of communication and simply chooses not to mention Article 23 of that illustrious – and neglected – document

The following Statement from human rights defenders, endorsed by a large number of prominent human rights defenders, lawyers, writers and others, is to be sent to the Russian Federation President and Prime Minister on 21 July (there is an address for signatures)

In announcing this decision forced by the murder of its human rights worker Natalya Estermirova, the Chair of the Memorial Board also expressed his willingness to confront Kadyrov in court over his statement that the Chechen President is to blame

The European Court of Human Rights on 16 July issued its chamber judgment over the disappearance of a young Chechen, Arbi Karimov, in January 2003

The last months have seen murders, assassination attempts and abductions in the region. And now the murder of a human rights defender, fearless Natalya Estemirova, one of the few people thanks to whom we could have at least some information about what was really happening in Ramzan Kadyrev’s kingdom

There were no speeches during the ceremony - all those gathered were in tears. At the memorial to journalists killed, a photograph of Natalya Estemirova was hung, and a banner asking “Who is next?”