Akhmednabiyev, deputy editor of independent newspaper Novoye Delo, and a reporter for online news portal Caucasian Knot, was shot dead on 9 July 2013 as he left for work in Makhachkala, Dagestan. He had actively reported on human rights violations against Muslims by the police and Russian army.
The letter underlines Russia’s failure to address both death threats in advance of the murder and the lacking investigation afterwards. Further, the signatories to the letter ask the Federal Investigation Committee to remedy the lacking investigation by expediting Akhmednabiyev’s case to the Federal level as a matter of urgency.
-Both the murder of an independent journalist and the lacking investigation are symptomatic of the impunity already widespread in North Caucasus, says Lene Wetteland, head of the Russia Department of the NHC. The Russian authorities must take action to prevent further spreading and ensure secure working conditions for journalists, lawyers and human rights activists in particular.