Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Missing Russia human rights activist found dead

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Russian officials announced on Wednesday that the body of Russian human rights activist Andrei Kulagin had been found in a quarry. Kulagin, the former head of rights group Spravedlivost, had been missing since May. Although officials did not comment on the cause of death, Spravedlivost director Andrei Stolbunov believes Kulagin was murdered. The announcement comes just days after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev approved amendments to regulations governing non-governmental organizations (NGOs), loosening and simplifying registration requirements for the groups. The amendments eased reporting and auditing provisions and eliminated a requirement that the groups prove they are not a threat to the Russian state or identity. Several human rights advocates have been killed in Russia in recent years. Last week, Russian activist Natalia Estemirova was reportedly kidnapped and murdered. Estemirova had investigated allegations of human rights violations in Chechnya for about 10 years. A Kremlin spokesperson said opposition to her activism was likely the motive for her murder, and Medvedev has ordered an inquiry into the killing. In April, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin expressed concern that activists in Russia were being attacked with greater frequency. In January, Russian human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov was shot and killed in Moscow. Markelov had represented journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot to death in October 2006.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 23, 2009 (boomark / email).