One of the founders of the "Sova" Centre dies in Moscow

On March 5, Galina Kozhevnikova, 36, a human rights defender and deputy director and one of the founders of the "Sova" Information and Analytical Centre passed away.

As reported by her colleagues from the "Sova", the last time she was heavily ill.

Galina Kozhevnikova's main topics were the problems of nationalism and xenophobia in Russia. She repeatedly made comments to the "Caucasian Knot" as an expert on these issues.

"An archivist-historian by education, Galina became a unique researcher of nationalism and xenophobia in Russia," runs the statement on Ms Kozhevnikova's death posted on the website of the "Sova" Centre. "Galya passed away after a heavy illness, but she continued working till her last day."

The "Sova" Centre also announces that Galina Kozhevnikova's last report on xenophobia and racism in Russia in 2010 will be published quite soon.

Galina Kozhevnikova was born on March 16, 1974. She graduated from the Historical Archive Institute of the Russian State Humanities University (HAI RSHU) in speciality of "history and archive management" and the post-graduate department of the division of state institutions and public organizations of the HAI RSHU. From October 1995 she was an employee of the information and expert group named "Panorama", where she dealt with the work of federal executive authorities and bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Since late 2002 she was deputy director of the "Sova" Information and Analytical Centre, where she specialized in studies of extremism.