The killing of Natalya Estemirova comes as a hammer blow to hopes of peace and stability in Chechnya - where she documented human rights abuses, house burnings and disappearances - and the wider North Caucasus.
A prominent activist for the human rights group Memorial, a 50-year-old single mother and the widow of a Chechen policeman, Estemirova was abducted and killed on Wednesday July 15. Her body was dumped, execution-style, near a major highway in neighbouring Ingushetia.
A prominent activist for the human rights group Memorial, a 50-year-old single mother and the widow of a Chechen policeman, Estemirova was abducted and killed on Wednesday July 15. Her body was dumped, execution-style, near a major highway in neighbouring Ingushetia.
The killing prompted outrage in Chechnya and around the world.
Estemirova is the latest critic of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov to wind up dead, and this has prompted speculation of involvement by some in his regime - or of people seeking to discredit him. In death, Estemirova followed fellow human rights activists - journalists Anna Politkovskaya, Anastasia Baburova and lawyer Stanislav Markelov - who colleagues say died because of their work connected to Chechnya.
The result is likely to be a new destabilisation of Chechnya and surrounding republics, as an atmosphere grows of fear and extrajudicial punishments. Kadyrov's rule may well come under increased pressure as authorities see his regime as either out of control, or unable to control the situation.
The Kremlin's dilemma
The Kremlin's problem is both simple and seemingly intractable: it installed Kadyrov and turned a blind eye to his methods. Kadyrov knows he's the only horse in the race, and Moscow feels it must back him no matter what. To replace Kadyrov with another official - such as in neighbouring Ingushetia, where Medvedev's new choice for governor was nearly killed in an ambush two weeks ago - would be practically unthinkable for the Kremlin, given the alternative of chaos and a renewed civil war.
Oleg Orlov, the head of Memorial, lashed out after the killing, saying Kadyrov bore the responsibility for Estemirova death.
"I know, I am certain who is behind the murder of Natasha Estemirova. We all know this person. His name is Ramzan Kadyrov," Orlov said in a statement posted on Memorial's web site. "Ramzan has already threatened Natalya.... We do not know if he personally gave the order or if his close colleagues did this to please their boss. Meanwhile, President Dmitry Medvedev is apparently fine with having a killer as the head of a Russian region."
Medvedev expresses outrage
Medvedev expressed outrage at the killing, but, pressed about his reaction during a press conference after his meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel, said that blaming Kadyrov was "primitive."
"Those who carried out this evil deed, this crime, were counting on [provoking] the most primitive and the most unrealistic scenarios for the government," Medvedev said. "This is a provocation. I am certain that this crime will be solved and those who committed it will be punished in accordance with Russian criminal law."
Kadyrov reacted strongly to the accusations against him.
"The search for the criminal will be carried out not only as part of the official investigation, but unofficially, in line with the traditions of Chechens," RIA Novosti quoted Kadyrov as saying Wednesday evening. This is not the first time that Kadyrov - directly or indirectly - referred to a blood feud. In April he suggested this was a possibility in investigating the killing of Sulim Yamadayev, a former warlord shot down in Dubai in March.
At a news conference on Thursday, Orlov accused Kadyrov of the killing, saying that he had threatened his colleague. Orlov cited an incident when Estemirova, who had spoken out against forcing girls to wear headscarves in Chechnya, was summoned by Kadyrov and insulted and threatened by him.
On another occasion, he said, Nurdi Nukhazhiyev, a Chechen human rights official, said that what Estemirova had uncovered had caused "indignation at the very top of the government of the Chechen republic." The official then reportedly warned him that her activities were endangering her life.
Islamic burial
Estemirova was buried in line with Islamic tradition before sunset on Thursday, in a cemetery in her ancestral village, Koshkeldy, in Chechnya's Gudermes district. A funeral procession of 200 people was broken up by paramilitary police, who said it might turn into a demonstration.
According to Orlov, Kadyrov had indicated that he preferred any human rights abuses uncovered by Estemirova to be reported to Kadyrov privately, without publicity.
Kadyrov's press service said that the Chechen president phoned Orlov and told him that the allegations he was making were "unethical."
"You are not a prosecutor, or a judge, or an investigator," Kadyrov reportedly said to Orlov on his cellphone and insisted that he had nothing to do with her death, according to RIA Novosti. "I think that you should think about my rights as well, before you tell all the world that I am to blame for Estemirova's death."
On Friday, Kadyrov said he would file a lawsuit against Orlov for defamation. Kadyrov's lawyer, Andrei Krasnenkov, would file the lawsuit in Moscow once he had prepared it.
Kadyrov was not the only official accused. Lyudmila Alexeyeva, of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was to blame because, while he was president, he brought Kadyrov to power and was his chief benefactor.
Accusation denied
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said these accusations were unfounded. "The pain of losing your colleague is understandable, but nothing can serve to justify such nonsense," he said of the allegations against Putin, who had not made any official statements about the murder because, as Peskov said, prosecutors and investigators answer to the president, not the prime minister.
No one should doubt that such a murder can elicit nothing but outrage" Peskov continued, adding that Putin was doing all he could in his current capacity as prime minister "to get these crimes solved." The prime minister felt "deep respect" for organisations such as Memorial, Peskov noted, and that the government should strive to create better working conditions for them.
Kidnappings rise
Estemirova had worked on uncovering abuses such as cases where the homes of families were burned down because their relatives, accused of taking part in military groups, would refuse to surrender. She had also said that kidnappings had increased in the last year. According to Memorial, 187 people were kidnapped in 2006, 35 in 2007, 42 in 2009, and already over 75 in the first half of 2009.
On Saturday, Alexander Cherkasov, a member of Memorial, told Ekho Moskvy radio that the group would suspend its work in Chechnya, RIA Novosti reported.
"As long as what we are doing is life threatening for people, we cannot risk it," Cherkasov said.
Kadyrov was in Moscow over the weekend, attending an informal summit with Medvedev and CIS leaders at the city's Hippodrome and watching horse racing there. Kadyrov brought 11 racehorses to the event, and one finished fourth.
Estemirova is the latest critic of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov to wind up dead, and this has prompted speculation of involvement by some in his regime - or of people seeking to discredit him. In death, Estemirova followed fellow human rights activists - journalists Anna Politkovskaya, Anastasia Baburova and lawyer Stanislav Markelov - who colleagues say died because of their work connected to Chechnya.
The result is likely to be a new destabilisation of Chechnya and surrounding republics, as an atmosphere grows of fear and extrajudicial punishments. Kadyrov's rule may well come under increased pressure as authorities see his regime as either out of control, or unable to control the situation.
The Kremlin's dilemma
The Kremlin's problem is both simple and seemingly intractable: it installed Kadyrov and turned a blind eye to his methods. Kadyrov knows he's the only horse in the race, and Moscow feels it must back him no matter what. To replace Kadyrov with another official - such as in neighbouring Ingushetia, where Medvedev's new choice for governor was nearly killed in an ambush two weeks ago - would be practically unthinkable for the Kremlin, given the alternative of chaos and a renewed civil war.
Oleg Orlov, the head of Memorial, lashed out after the killing, saying Kadyrov bore the responsibility for Estemirova death.
"I know, I am certain who is behind the murder of Natasha Estemirova. We all know this person. His name is Ramzan Kadyrov," Orlov said in a statement posted on Memorial's web site. "Ramzan has already threatened Natalya.... We do not know if he personally gave the order or if his close colleagues did this to please their boss. Meanwhile, President Dmitry Medvedev is apparently fine with having a killer as the head of a Russian region."
Medvedev expresses outrage
Medvedev expressed outrage at the killing, but, pressed about his reaction during a press conference after his meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel, said that blaming Kadyrov was "primitive."
"Those who carried out this evil deed, this crime, were counting on [provoking] the most primitive and the most unrealistic scenarios for the government," Medvedev said. "This is a provocation. I am certain that this crime will be solved and those who committed it will be punished in accordance with Russian criminal law."
Kadyrov reacted strongly to the accusations against him.
"The search for the criminal will be carried out not only as part of the official investigation, but unofficially, in line with the traditions of Chechens," RIA Novosti quoted Kadyrov as saying Wednesday evening. This is not the first time that Kadyrov - directly or indirectly - referred to a blood feud. In April he suggested this was a possibility in investigating the killing of Sulim Yamadayev, a former warlord shot down in Dubai in March.
At a news conference on Thursday, Orlov accused Kadyrov of the killing, saying that he had threatened his colleague. Orlov cited an incident when Estemirova, who had spoken out against forcing girls to wear headscarves in Chechnya, was summoned by Kadyrov and insulted and threatened by him.
On another occasion, he said, Nurdi Nukhazhiyev, a Chechen human rights official, said that what Estemirova had uncovered had caused "indignation at the very top of the government of the Chechen republic." The official then reportedly warned him that her activities were endangering her life.
Islamic burial
Estemirova was buried in line with Islamic tradition before sunset on Thursday, in a cemetery in her ancestral village, Koshkeldy, in Chechnya's Gudermes district. A funeral procession of 200 people was broken up by paramilitary police, who said it might turn into a demonstration.
According to Orlov, Kadyrov had indicated that he preferred any human rights abuses uncovered by Estemirova to be reported to Kadyrov privately, without publicity.
Kadyrov's press service said that the Chechen president phoned Orlov and told him that the allegations he was making were "unethical."
"You are not a prosecutor, or a judge, or an investigator," Kadyrov reportedly said to Orlov on his cellphone and insisted that he had nothing to do with her death, according to RIA Novosti. "I think that you should think about my rights as well, before you tell all the world that I am to blame for Estemirova's death."
On Friday, Kadyrov said he would file a lawsuit against Orlov for defamation. Kadyrov's lawyer, Andrei Krasnenkov, would file the lawsuit in Moscow once he had prepared it.
Kadyrov was not the only official accused. Lyudmila Alexeyeva, of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was to blame because, while he was president, he brought Kadyrov to power and was his chief benefactor.
Accusation denied
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said these accusations were unfounded. "The pain of losing your colleague is understandable, but nothing can serve to justify such nonsense," he said of the allegations against Putin, who had not made any official statements about the murder because, as Peskov said, prosecutors and investigators answer to the president, not the prime minister.
No one should doubt that such a murder can elicit nothing but outrage" Peskov continued, adding that Putin was doing all he could in his current capacity as prime minister "to get these crimes solved." The prime minister felt "deep respect" for organisations such as Memorial, Peskov noted, and that the government should strive to create better working conditions for them.
Kidnappings rise
Estemirova had worked on uncovering abuses such as cases where the homes of families were burned down because their relatives, accused of taking part in military groups, would refuse to surrender. She had also said that kidnappings had increased in the last year. According to Memorial, 187 people were kidnapped in 2006, 35 in 2007, 42 in 2009, and already over 75 in the first half of 2009.
On Saturday, Alexander Cherkasov, a member of Memorial, told Ekho Moskvy radio that the group would suspend its work in Chechnya, RIA Novosti reported.
"As long as what we are doing is life threatening for people, we cannot risk it," Cherkasov said.
Kadyrov was in Moscow over the weekend, attending an informal summit with Medvedev and CIS leaders at the city's Hippodrome and watching horse racing there. Kadyrov brought 11 racehorses to the event, and one finished fourth.
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