Photo Gallery Remembering Natalya Estemirova
Russian journalist Natalya Estemirova, 50, was found dead on a road in Ingushetia on July 15, 2009, having been taken from her home in the Chechen capital Grozny that morning. Up until her death, she had worked as a human rights activist and a reporter for the outspoken Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
Estemirova, seen here in a 2004 photo, was abducted at 8:30 in the morning on July 15 from her house and thrown into a white Lada car waiting outside. Eight hours later, her body was found in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia, with gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
Estemirova's work as an activist for the human rights organization Memorial had made her many enemies. In this 2007 photo, she is seen holding a press conference in Grozny with human rights lawyer Kirill Koroteyev (center).
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
News of her death has caused grief and outrage within human rights organizations. Here, Alexander Cherkasov (left), a member of Memorial, Allison Gill (center), director of Human Rights Watch's Russia office and Oleg Orlov, director of Memorial's Moscow headquarters, are pictured holding a press conference on July 16.
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
Mourners pray for Estemirova at her funeral near the Chechen capital of Grozny on July 16.
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
Estemirova's death has led to renewed fears for the safety of human rights activists and those willing to challenge the political regime in Chechnya. Here, one woman holds up a sign reading, "Who's Next?"
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
Russian intelligence sources suggest that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov is behind the assassination.
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
Estemirova is not the first Russian journalist to be assassinated in recent months. Anastasia Baburova, a reporter for Novaya Gazeta, was murdered in broad daylight by a masked gunman on Jan. 19, 2009.
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
Human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov died in the same attack. He once told SPIEGEL: "The murderers are among us."
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
There is widespread concern in Chechnya that the people behind Estemirova's death will never be brought to justice. "I would like to see the Russian investigator from Moscow who would actually launch an investigation there in Chechnya," Vyacheslav Izmailov, an editor at Novaya Gazeta, told SPIEGEL.
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Will Kremlin Really Investigate Natalya Estemirova's Murder?
