Washington, DC - Today we mark with sadness the seventh anniversary of the death of human-rights defender and journalist Nataliya Estemirova, who was abducted and killed in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Her killers remain at large. Moreover, the abuses that she investigated – kidnappings, torture, and extra-judicial killings – continue with impunity in Chechnya. Across Russia, we see a pattern of attempts to intimidate and harm independent journalists, and members of the political opposition and civil society.
We once again call on Russian authorities to bring to justice those responsible for Nataliya Estemirova’s murder, and to ensure that human-rights defenders, peaceful political activists and independent journalists can safely and freely pursue their work in the Russian Federation.