Press Statement
John Kirby
Department Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 14, 2015
The United States marks with sadness the sixth anniversary of the death of human-rights defender and journalist Nataliya Estemirova. On July 15, 2009, Ms. Estemirova was abducted and killed in the North Caucasus region of Russia while investigating human rights abuses in Chechnya. Her murder remains unsolved and we call on Russian authorities to finally bring to justice those responsible for this crime.
It is troubling to see investigative journalists working in the public interest, like Ms. Estemirova, come under the types of attacks we have witnessed in Russia. We call on the Russian government to ensure that human-rights defenders and journalists can safely and freely pursue their vital work.