[Reader-list] Another Assasination in Russia

[shuddha at sarai.net]

Dear All, 

And now another sad death in Putin's Russia. For the consideration of all
those who still root for the 'anti-imperialist' street cred of this gaseous
oligarch.

best, 

Shuddha
------------------------


Natalia Estemirova Killing The Latest In Attacks On Russian Activists
The Huffington Post
First Posted: 07-15-09 04:04 PM  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/15/natalia-estemirova-killin_n_234021.html

Award-winning Russian rights activist Natalya Estemirova has been found
dead hours after being kidnapped in Chechnya, reports Human Rights Watch.

Estemirova's body was found on a roadside near the Chechan border with two
bullet wounds to her head, according to the local Interior Ministry
spokeswoman.

A report was released on the same day as Estemirova's killing, which calls
for Russian officials, including Prime Minister Putin, to be held
accountable for crimes while they have been in office.

Estemirova's death is the latest in an increasing list of reporters,
lawyers and activits who have been killed in Russia, according to Amnesty
International.

In a report released in May of this year, Amnesty accuses President
Medvedev of failing to live up to the human rights promises he made before
being elected.

Amnesty says: "People continue to be 'forcibly disappeared' or abducted,
arbitrarily detained, tortured or even killed while in detention. "

    Estemirova had worked with investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya,
who was shot dead in her Moscow apartment building in 2006, and her lawyer
Stanislav Markelov. Markelov was killed in Moscow in January, along with
opposition newspaper reporter Anastasia Baburova.

    The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that in 2008, two
journalists were killed in Russia. Magomed Yevloyev was shot and killed
while in police custody, and Telman Alishayev was shot while driving home
from a local mosque.

The organization has recently called for an investigation into the death of
newspaper editor Vyacheslav Yaroshenko who died from a head wound.
Story continues below

In its annual report on Russia, Reporters Without Borders noted that "much
pressure" was exerted upon independent media and journalists, including
police arrests and beatings.

Here is a round-up of the most recent high-profile killings:

Vyacheslav Yaroshenko, 63
The editor of Korruptsiya i Prestupnost (Corruption and Crime) died on June
29, 2009 as a result of severe head injuries sustained in an attack from a
mystery assailant in late April. Yaroshenko was unconscious found at the
entrance to his apartment building, but local police said they did not
consider any criminal element involved in his injuries and have not
investigated the April incident.

Magomed Yevloyev, 37
Kremlin critic and journalist Yevloyev was shot dead while in police
custody on August 31, 2008. Yevloyev founded and ran ingushetiya.ru, a
website which provided local news and information. The website was a strong
opponent of Murat Zyazikov, Ingushetia's pro-Kremlin president.
He was arrested shortly after arriving in Ingushetia from Moscow. Police
reported that after he was arrested, the journalist attempted to wrestle a
gun from a policeman when the gun went off, striking Yevloyev in the temple.

Telman Alishayev
Alishayev, host of popular religious program 'Peace to Your Home', was shot
by two masked assassins while sitting in traffic on his way home from the
local mosque on September 2, 2008. Alishayev was a reporter for the Islamic
had more recently lobbied for education reform and gender separation in
schools. No one has been convicted for his death.

Anna Politkovskaya, 48
Investigative journalist and rights activist Politkovskaya was shot and
killed in her apartment building in Moscow on October 7, 2006.
Politkovskays was perhaps best known for her opposition to the Chechen
conflict and criticism of Vladimir Putin. A judge recently overturned the
acquittal of three men charged with her death, one former police officer
and two Chechens, who now face a retrial. She had written a number of
award-winning books about Chechnya and Putin's leadership, and had written
articles exposing rights abuses by the Russian army in Chechnya.

Stanislav Markelov, 35
Markelov, the human rights lawyer who represented Anna Politkovskaya, was
shot dead in Moscow on January 19, 2009. Markelov was one of the presidents
of the Russian Rule of Law Institute and had represented Chechens who were
allegedly beaten and abused by Russian forces.

Anastasia Barburova, 25
Young investigative journalist Barburova was shot and killed when she tried
to apprehend the assissin who shot human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov
as they walked in Moscow. Barburova, a journalism student at Moscow State
University, investigated the neo-Nazi movement in Russia.
The assassin has not been found.