Russia: Funeral for Murdered Russian Rights Activist Natalia Estimirova

The body of slain human rights activist, Natalia Estimirova, was returned to her family home in Chechnya, a day after she was found dead in neighboring Ingushetia.

Natalia Estimirova’s body was transported in a yellow passenger mini-bus from Ingushetia to the family home in Ishkoy-Yurt, in the Gudermes region. Relatives and friends of her family waited for the body to arrive at the house of Estimirova’s father where they gathered to grieve and pay their condolences.

The family buried Estimirova later that day in a nearby village.

The human rights organization that Estimirova worked for blamed Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed president for the murder. Amnesty International said it stemmed from a culture of impunity both within Chechnya and in Russia as a whole.

Estimirova was abducted on Wednesday in Chechnya and her body was found in neighboring Russian republic Ingushetia. This incident was one of the latest of a series of killings which has led to questions about Medvedev’s pledges to uphold the rule of law.

(NTDTV)