Chechen leader sues rights group after activist murder

MOSCOW (AFP) – Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov is suing the head of a Russian rights group after he accused the Caucasus strongman over the murder of activist Natalya Estemirova, his lawyer said Friday. ....

Estemirova, 50, was found dead Wednesday afternoon with gunshot wounds to the head and chest hours after she was seen being bundled into a car outside her home in the Chechen capital Grozny that same morning. ....

Kadyrov had earlier personally telephoned Orlov to bluntly rebuke him for his allegations

"You are not a prosecutor or a judge therefore your claims about my guilt are not ethical, to put it mildly, and are insulting to me," Kadyrov told Orlov, according to an account of the conversation posted on Kadyrov's website.

"I am sure that you have to think about my rights before declaring for everyone to hear that I am guilty of Estemirova's death," the Kremlin-backed Chechen strongman said. ....

Orlov said in a statement released following Estemirova's abduction in Chechnya: "I know, I am sure who is guilty of Natalya Estemirova's murder, we all know him -- his name is Ramzan Kadyrov."

"We do not know if he gave the order himself or his close associates did so to please their boss," Orlov said.

Kadyrov had "threatened Natalya, insulted her and considered her a personal enemy," Orlov said.

Kadyrov is a hugely controversial figure, praised by the Kremlin for restoring some stability to Chechnya but hated by rights activists, who accuse him of letting a personal militia carry out kidnappings and torture.

In April, Russia ended its controversial "anti-terror operation" in Chechnya, a move that analysts said gave the maverick leader a freer hand in running his war-ravaged region.

As I've said before, it's hard to pick a dog in this fight. No doubt Kadyrov is a thug. After all, he's a Muslim -- and a "mufti" to boot. But, his opponents are also Muslims which included the late, Shamil Basayev, who commanded the Beslan school massacre.

Now, if Memorial is anything like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, who seem preoccupied with America's and Israel's "crimes," then I don't have much use for it.

Caution is the appropriate response to this "human rights" worker's death, at least for now.

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if Memorial is anything like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, who seem preoccupied with America's and Israel's "crimes,"

As I recall, Memorial was originally focused on uncovering Stalin's crimes, but of course it now covers the standard list of "crimes" against the Utopian society that rights groups made up and pretend to live in. Influence of Memorial and of other rights organizations was severely damaged during Yeltsin's years, and today a typical Russian, if asked about some trouble spots, will likely advise you to "kill them all and let God sort them out later."

Caution is the appropriate response to this "human rights" worker's death, at least for now.

Indeed. IMO, this reporter just bit more than she could chew, and the danger could be coming from anywhere. Once you know enough of other people's secrets you become dangerous, and Chechen rebels are not much kinder than Sicilian mafia.

My personal guess is that she was taken out by Chechens after she learned something dangerous. Now which Chechens - rebels or rulers - that is hard to tell. But rebels have more motivation to plug the leak in such a crude and obvious way; governments can work in subtle ways when they want to - they can arrange for a car wreck, or for a robbery gone bad, or make a heart attack that in a local ER looks perfectly legit and leaves no traces of poison after few hours...

Agreed. But Chechens first, Russians last.

Gotta help the Sons of Allah achieve their martyrdom goals before anything else.

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Activist stands by murder allegation against Chechnya leader - July 18, 2009 - "I am ready to appear before the court, if there is a trial, and to answer for the words I spoke," he told the Russian news agency Interfax.

Activists point out that it is no longer sustainable for Kadyrov to claim that his enemies are responsible for killing his enemies – a strategy used every time a journalist, liberal activist or lawyer opposed to Kadyrov is gunned down in Russia. "You can't keep on making this claim. It's no longer believable," said one source close to Novaya Gazeta, the paper for which Estemirova also wrote.

On Friday Novaya Gazeta pointed the finger of blame at Kadyrov. In a long article, it recounted the grim circumstances surrounding Estemirova's execution, noting that the white car used to abduct her had been waved through several police checkpoints – only possible if her kidnappers had official ID. It revealed that on the day of her killing, Kadyrov's internal affairs minister had gone to play hockey.

Chechen exiles have alleged that Kadyrov has drawn up a top-secret death list of his enemies, 300 of whom it is said have been pencilled in for assassination. There is no proof the list exists. In March, however, Umar Israilov, who had complained to the European court of human rights that Kadyrov had personally tortured him, was shot dead in the streets of Vienna. Another Kadyrov opponent, Sulim Yamadayev, was gunned down the same month in Dubai.

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