Arapova: Northern Caucasus shouldn't be called to mind only after murders

Media recollect about the situation in Northern Caucasus only another resonant murder there, while the local society has got accustomed to murders and no longer perceive them as tragedy. This was stated by Galina Arapova, Director of the Centre in Defence of Media's Rights, in her interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, who added that this should not be the case.

"Then, everyone plunges into the routine of daily business till the next murder. Recently, they assassinate journalists, human rights activists or militiamen there with fanatical regularity. It's strange every other murder is not perceived as tragedy any more by the society. It's awful, but has already become habitual, while it should never be!" she said.

Galina has marked that in recent years the situation in Northern Caucasus has grown red-hot, and it should not be ignored.

"And all these terrible murders of journalists and human rights defenders, not opened until now, while those guilty are not punished, cause even not indignation, but sooner some helpless bewilderment. All the appeals of victims' colleagues to the authorities to find and punish the culprits sink in indifference and inactivity, like in a bog, or strike back by ricochet in the form of suits lodged by offended bureaucrats, like it was with persecution of Oleg Orlov for criticizing Ramzan Kadyrov in the context with Natalia Estemirova's murder," said Galina Arapova has told (the ("Caucasian Knot" keeps the chronicle of the judicial conflict of President of Chechnya with the head of the HRC "Memorial").

She quoted Alexander Bastrykin, head of the ICPO, according to whom in recent years law enforcement bodies open most of the murders, at least every 4 out of 5, and wondered "why this statistics fails as regards to journalists' murders."

She has shared her vision of the problem with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in the conversation on the eve of the conference "Situation with Media and Civil Society in Northern Caucasus" planned on February 16, where the Centre headed by Arapova is among the organizers.