In Moscow, Natalia Estemirova posthumously awarded for courage

The Moscow House of Journalists hosted a ceremony of awarding the first premium of the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG) in the area of human rights defence for 2009. Natalia Estemirova, a human rights defender and employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", was posthumously awarded "for the courage demonstrated in defence of human rights."

As a whole, the MHG has considered 56 nominees.

Liudmila Alekseeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, told Radio Liberty that this award has eleven nominations, and the one for courage demonstrated in defence of human rights was awarded to Natalia Estemirova, who was kidnapped and murdered in Grozny this July.

Apart from Estemirova, Igor Kaliapin, chairman of the regional public organization "Committee against Torture" (Nizhni Novgorod), became the laureate of the premium in the nomination "For successes in developing and managing human rights organizations". Ms Alekseeva has noted that when the "Memorial" was forced to suspend its work in Chechnya, several human rights organizations decided to replace it. Mr Kaliapin's organization was among them; they still work in Chechnya.

Singer Yuri Shevchuk was also awarded the premium in the nomination "For defence of human rights by means of culture and arts". According to Liudmila Alekseeva, in the end of the last century "he did a lot for promoting the ideals of freedom, democracy and human rights in the youth environment."

Ms Alekseeva has especially noted Alexander Daniel, an old participant of the human rights movement and employee of the Research Centre "Memorial", who was awarded in the nomination "For historical contribution in defence of human rights and human rights movement."

The premium was also adjudged as follows: in the nomination "For expert and scientific activity in the area of human rights" - to Galina Kozhevnikova (Moscow), deputy director of the "Sova" Information and Analytical Centre; in the nomination "For development of traditions of defence of human rights among the youth" - to Andrei Yurov (Voronezh), president of the International Youth Human Rights Movement; in the nomination "Defence of prisoners" - to Alexei Sokolov (Ekaterinburg), head of the regional public organization "Legal foundation"; in the nomination "For journalistic activity in promoting of human rights values" - to Elena Milashina (Moscow), editor of the division of special reports of the "Novaya Gazeta"; in the nomination "For the contribution to human rights education" - to Rauf Gabidulin (Archangelsk), head of the Archangelsk branch of the All-Russian Social Movement "For Human Rights"; in the nomination "For defending human rights in the court" - to Sergey Beliayev, president of the Public Association "Sutiazhnik" (Litigant) (Ekaterinburg); and in the nomination "For activity in defending social rights and interests of local communities" - to Andrei Babushkin (Moscow), chairman of the Committee "For Civil Rights", as reported by the website of the MHG.