Another Russian Activist Murdered

Natalia Estemirova, a prominent human-rights activist in Russia, was awarded the inaugural Anna Politkovskaya Prize in 2007, which was named after the prominent Russian journalist who was murdered. Tragically, Estemirova met the same fate as Politkovskaya: Estemirova's bullet-riddled body was recently found in Russia. According to her employer, the advocacy group Memorial, she was earlier kidnapped in a van. Estemirova had collaborated in the past with Politkovskaya, as well as Stanislav Markelov, another activist who was killed this year. Human Rights Watch said that Estemirova had recently been researching "highly sensitive" cases in Chechnya. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he was "outraged" at the crime and ordered a "top-level" investigation.