Human rights activists ask Medvedev to supervise investigation into Estemirova's murder

Today in Moscow the press conference "The first results of an independent investigation into the murder of Natalia Estemirova" was held, during which a report with the results of the investigation holding by the "Novaya Gazeta" (New Newspaper), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Human Rights Centre "Memorial" . The report's authors the appeal to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to take personal control over the due process of law in the investigation into the Natalia's Estemirova murder.

The event is dated to the second anniversary of the murder of the human rights activist.

The human rights activists reported that starting July 16, 2009, the investigation into the Estemirova's murder has been led by the group of Igor Sobolev, Senior Investigator for Particularly Serious Cases of the Department of Investigation of Particularly Serious Cases of the Main Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee. The investigators developed four basic reasons of the murder: 1) in connection with her professional activities; 2) to discredit the government of the Chechen Republic; 3) of personal hostile relations; 4) murdered by power agents of the Chechen Republic in connection with the publicity of violations of human rights.

"Six months later, in January 2010," started the human rights activists and continue: "the investigators obtained the "evidences", which became the basis of the main version of the murder: the kidnapping and murder had been committed by militant Alkhazur Bashaev and other unidentified persons."

According to the report, after the analysis of the accessible part of the criminal case and their own independent investigation, the authors can argue that the investigators have no serious evidence of Alkhazur Bashaev's involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Natalia Estemirova. According to the authors of the report, on the contrary, "the "evidence base" contained in the criminal case allows suspecting a deliberate design of this evidence to make a "Bashaev's version" the core version".

According to the human rights activists, the effective investigation into the murder of Natalia Estemirova is only possible with the active participation of the aggrieved party.