Russian politicians outraged over journalist's murder
Interfax
July 16, 2009
The State Duma is concerned about the increased number of murders of journalists and human rights activists, Interfax reported on 16 July.
"Yesterday's murder of journalist Natalya Estemirova, who was also a representative of the Chechen office of the Memorial human rights centre, was a brazen crime. It will certainly provoke a wide public outcry," first deputy chairman of the State Duma security committee Mikhail Grishankov (United Russia) said.
"This murder could be a provocation aimed at the North Caucasian authorities or an act of intimidation carried out by militants and their accomplices against those who, like Estemirova, are engaged in human rights activities," he said.
Deputy chairman of the State Duma security committee Gennadiy Gudkov (A Just Russia) said that, as a rule, such high-profile crimes remain unsolved.
"Sadly, we have to admit that violence against journalists with civil courage has become almost routine in our country," he told Interfax.
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma constitutional legislation and state development committee Viktor Ilyukhin (Communist Party faction) told Interfax that intensified attacks on journalists and human rights campaigners are "a sign of the onslaught on the freedom of speech. Law enforcers rarely, if ever, catch the perpetrators, let alone the organizers of high-profile crimes".
The Federaion Council does not doubt that the murder of Estemirova is linked to her professional activity, Interfax reported at 1316 gmt.
"The murder is openly anti-Russian and is undoubtedly linked with the professional activity of the human rights campaigner," head of the commission for the Caucasus and first deputy speaker of the Federation Council Aleksandr Troshin told Interfax.
"High-profile murders happen all too often in our country," he said. "We must do something, otherwise we will continue to be pilloried and condemned by the international community," he said.
Another senator and former adviser to the Russian president Aslambek Aslakhanov also linked the murder of Estemirova with her professional activity. "Her job was wrought with danger, and she did a lot for common Chechens, especially those who suffered from unlawful actions both by the law-enforcement bodies and the authorities," he said.
At the same time he thinks that some human rights activists' statements that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov is directly or indirectly behind the murder are totally wrong and illogical.
Shakhman Akbulatov, head of the Groznyy office of the Memorial centre, told Vesti TV: "I am absolutely confident that she was killed because of her professional activity. She dealt with the most difficult, complicated and dangerous problems: kidnappings in the republic, disappearances, tortures, pressure on militants' relatives, illegal actions against the relatives, and accommodation problems."
Chairman of the presidential commission for human rights Ella Pamfilova believes that President Medvedev's quite tough reaction to the murder could speed up the investigation. In an interview with radio Ekho Moskvy, Pamfilova said that the low rate of solving murders of rights activists is linked to the weakness of the security structures.
