Investigate Killing of Russian Human Rights Defender

Alert Issued: July 15, 2009

On July 15, Natalya Estemirova, a well-known Russian human rights activist, was found dead in the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia.  Earlier that day, armed men abducted Estemirova in neighboring Chechnya.

Estemirova worked as a teacher and journalist in the Chechen capital, Grozny. Since 1999, when the second Chechen war began, she devoted herself to human rights advocacy, joining the staff of the Memorial human rights center, one of Russia's largest and most respected rights groups.

Estemirova's abduction and murder sheds light on the dire situation of Russian human rights defenders, including lawyers, journalists, and other activists, who face increasing violence, threats, and baseless prosecution.  Impunity for prior attacks contributes to the deterioration of their situation. Join Human Rights First in demanding that Russian authorities conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into this murder, identify those responsible, and bring them to justice.

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On July 15, 2009, Natalya Estemirova was abducted upon leaving her house in Grozny at 8:30 in the morning.  Witnesses saw her being forced into a car by four men and heard her scream, "I am being kidnapped," before the car pulled away. Her body was later found along the side of a road near Nazran, the capital city of the neighboring republic of Ingushetiya, in the afternoon.

Many journalists and human rights activists working in the troubled North Caucasus region have been threatened, physically assaulted or killed.  Human Right First fears that Estemirova was murdered because of her work as a human rights defender.

Estemirova had been shot in the head and chest. Her purse and passport, as well as other identifying documents, were found with her body. A spokesperson for Memorial said that Estemirova had scheduled several meetings for July 15.

While traveling throughout Chechnya, Estemirova had collected information about numerous human rights violations including: disappearances, kidnappings and extrajudicial executions. In addition to reporting, Estemirova also provided support to the victims and their families by helping them find medical and legal aid and psychological assistance. Internationally, her work was recognized with a Robert Schuman Medal (by the European Parliament), the Inaugural Politkovskaya Award (by Reach All Women in WAR in London in 2007), among other awards.

Natalya Estemirova's stated goal was to solve at least one of the numerous missing-persons cases in Chechnya. She persistently called on authorities to investigate and prosecute kidnappings. As a testament to the difficulty of the work, Estemirova was one of the few remaining human rights defenders still working inside Chechnya.  Her efforts have been vital to Memorial's work at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where many cases dealing with violations in Chechnya have been tried in recent years.

Natalya Estemirova joins a growing list of Russian human rights defenders, nonviolent activists, and independent journalists who have been the target of death threats and physical assaults in recent years. When these assaults have resulted in death, as in the case of Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, investigations have been inconclusive and few perpetrators have been brought to justice.

The prevailing atmosphere of impunity and lawlessness contributes to the alarming frequency of these types of incidents and creates an air of menace and fear that has a chilling effect on the legitimate activities of nonviolent activists and independent journalists.  This atmosphere of impunity and lawlessness constitutes violations of Russia's obligations as a State Party to numerous human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. In accordance with these commitments, the Russian government is obliged to safeguard the right to life and security of person of people under its jurisdiction, as well as to protect basic civil rights, such as freedom of expression, association and assembly.  These violent incidents undermine Russia's international obligations.

Human Rights First is calling on Russian authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into the murder of Natalya Estemirova. Those responsible for her abduction and murder should be found and prosecuted.

Sample Letter

President Dmitry Medvedev
c/o H.E. Ambassador Yuri V. Ushakov
Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United States
2650 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Fax: 202-298-5735

Dear President Medvedev:

I am writing to express my deep concern about the murder of Natalya Estemirova, a human rights activist and journalist who was abducted from her home in Grozny on July 15, 2009. Later the same day, she was found shot dead in Ingushetia. I am very concerned that Ms. Estemirova was the victim of a politically motivated assassination because of her activities as a prominent human rights activist.

IThis murder represents a further escalation of the risks faced by human rights defenders, independent journalists and other nonviolent government critics in Russia, particularly those who operate in or focus on the North Caucasus region. This murder and other violent incidents against human rights defenders demand an urgent response from the Russian authorities.

The Russian Federation, as a State Party to binding international human rights treaties, is violating the law by allowing these attacks on human rights defenders to occur. Under article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), your government is obligated to safeguard the right to life and security of person of all people under its jurisdiction. It is further obligated, under articles 19, 21 and 22 of the ICCPR, to protect basic civil rights such as freedom of expression, association and assembly. The European Convention on Human Rights, to which Russia is also a State Party, similarly enshrines these rights. These violent incidents undermine Russia's international obligations.

I urgently call on your government to conduct a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation to identify those responsible for the abduction and murder of Natalya Estemirova. Further, this investigation should lead to the prosecution of those responsible. Impunity for attacks against human rights defenders contributes to more violence and undermines respect for the rule of law.