Fifty year old Natalia Estemirova was a human rights campaigner working with Memorial, the Russian human rights organisation which investigated human rights violations both in Chechnya and Russia. She has documented hundreds of human rights abuse in Chechnya and was a well known regional expert. She was a close friend and colleague of famous human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya and ironically met the same fate. She was shot dead in North Caucasus.

Russia-Chechnya conflict was one of the bloodiest one in the history of the world. Natalia documented civilian casualties of the second Chechen War and was even awarded for her brave work by members of European Parliament. She also received inaugural Anna Politkovskaya award instituted by Reach All Women in War Campaign group after shocking killing of Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow in 2006.

She carried forward the same work with grit and determination in spite of being aware of grim and dangerous consequences. Helping the victims of war and violence was her single driving force. She was collecting evidences about house-burnings by government backed militia before she was abducted and brutally killed.  Truth will reveal itself. But unfortunately many brave activists have to die while unmasking bitter realities of war and exposing government’s role in human rights abuses.

Via BBC