Natalya Estemirova murdered

At 18.0 on Wednesday evening Russian officials announced that the body of human rights defender Natalya Estemirova had been found in Ingushetia. She had been shot in the head and chest.  As reported already, she was abducted this morning from near her home.

The website Caucasian Knot reports that yesterday Natalya Estemirova together with the Head of the Civic Assistance Committee Svetlana Gannushkina tried to meet with Maskhud Abdulayaev, the son of the Chechen field commander who has been deported from Egypt.  

Natalya Estemirova worked for the Human Rights Centre “Memorial” which plays a vital role in uncovering and fighting human rights abuse in the Caucuses. In recent months, she had been gathering evidence of a campaign of house-burnings by government 

“Memorial” has recorded 42 abductions already this year.

Like Anna Politkovskaya, Stanislav Markelov, and the ever increasing number of human rights defenders murdered in the Russian Federation, Natalya Estemirova had received international recognition for her efforts and the admiration of all those who value human life and dignity.

Eternal Memory