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The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders strongly condemns the murder of the prominent human rights defender Natalia Estemirova. On the international day of justice, July 17, we call upon the Russian authorities to conduct an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation of this case and previous murders of human rights defenders in the country. We also call upon the Russian authorities to further ensure a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders in their country.

Members of the Human Rights House Network call on the Chechen and Russian authorities to investigate the murder of human rights defender Natalia Estemirova.

Natalia Estemirova, famous human rights defender from Russian Human Rights Centre ‘Memorial’ was found murdered today at about 16:30 in hundred meters distance from the federal road Kavkaz near the village of Gazi Iurt of Nazran district, the Republic of Ingushetia.

On July 2, 2009, Human Rights Watch published a report, “‘What Your Children Do Will Touch Upon You’: Punitive House-Burning in the Chechen Republic “, documenting a pattern of house burnings and extrajudicial killing by security forces to punish families for the alleged involvement by their relatives in the insurgency.

Russian human rights defenders do not expect help from abroad, but they believe that America as a great world power and President Obama as a world leader must know what kind of condition Russia’s political system is in.

The review, initiated by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in collaboration with the Russian Union of Journalists, the Glasnost Defense Foundation and the Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations as a part of World Congress in Moscow in 2007, examines 313 cases of died journalists in the Russian Federation since 1993, reviewing the circumstances around their deaths, the response of the authorities and the reasons behind the failure of the investigation.

On June 3, the capital of Norway hosted the awarding ceremony of Herd Bucerius Award “Free Press of Eastern Europe” to journalists from the CIS countries. Journalists from Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Armenia, Georgia and the Russian Federation were among the laureates.

The round table is aimed at discussion problems of disqualified people’s right protection and development of possible ways of reforming of the current legislation with due consideration of the lay of the land. The event is organized by Federal Ombudsman of Russia, Independent psychiatric association of Russia and International non-government organization Psychiatric Center for Human Rights and Russia Society of Psychiatrists. Lawyers, psychiatrists, representatives of state bodies, of guardianship and wardship authority, human rights activists, etc. are to take part in the discussion.

Another Russian journalist has become the victim of unknown criminals’ violent attack. Several days after the attack, Vyacheslav Yaroshenko, editor-in-chief of the newspaper ‘Corruption and Crime,’ is still in a coma. While the police has so far refused to register the crime, colleagues of Yaroshenko believe the attack is related to his professional activities.