The ELDR Party, deeply shocked by the murder of Natalya
Estemirova, Russian journalist, award winning human rights
activist, and moral successor of Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaia,
urgently demands a comprehensive investigation into this
criminal act which has its roots in censorship of information
and lack of freedom in Russia.
Supporting the work of its Russian member party Yabloko,
Annemie Neyts, ELDR President, addresses to Sergey Mitrokin,
Yabloko's leader, a promise to closely follow this issue
and to bring forward at the European level the defence of
freedom of information and a coherent model of freedom of
expression across Europe . Sergey Mitrokin stated, "
we shall continue doing everything that we can to make the
authorities uncover the truth about the murders of human
rights activists ant to punish those who ordered, organised
and perpetrated these crimes. However, we are certain that
we can qualitatively change the situation only by means
of fundamentally changing the Russian state and its attitude
towards its own people." " Mrs. Estemirova dedicated
her whole life to the promotion of human rights, democracy
and the rule of law in Russia . Her tragic murder should
be duly investigated and the perpetrators should be punished,
so that her martyrdom might become the symbol of a new renaissance
in Russia, rather than one more symptom of the tragic closing
up of Russian society", said Annemie Neyts who expresses
her deep condolences to the relatives of Natalya Estemirova,
her colleagues in the Memorial Society and all the people
for whom she was the last hope.
See also:
The
original
The
Russian authorities are fully responsible for another political
murder. Statement by the Party Chairman, July 15, 2009.
Human
Rights
