Michael de Laine

Russian human rights lawyer murdered

By Michael de Laine, Copenhagen, 21st January 2009

A prominent Russian human rights lawyer was shot dead in the centre of Moscow on Monday, and a journalist died later from wounds sustained in the same attack.

Stanislav Markelov, who represented the murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya and others, was himself gunned down on Monday, and Anastasiya Baburova, who worked for the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was injured when she tried to intervene. Baburova died later of her wounds.

As well representing Politkovskaya, Markelov was the lawyer of the family of an 18-year-old Chechen girl, Kheda Kungaeva, who was abducted, raped and strangled to death in March 2000.

In July 2003, Colonel Yuri Budanov was sentenced to ten years in prison for the murder, but was released early on 15th January 2009 “because of good behaviour,” having served eight-and-a-half years of the sentence, despite an appeal filed by Markelov.

The lawyer had just held a news conference where he announced his decision to appeal the release of Budanov, who was the first Russian officer to be jailed for breaching human rights in Chechnya. He has since become an extremely popular person in Russia.

Budanov’s lawyer denies the colonel’s implication in the murder of Markelov and Baburova, but Kheda Kungaeva’s father said, “I am in no doubt that he [Markelov] was killed because of his activities as a lawyer and the he was killed because of the Budanov case.”

Over the last week, Stanislav Markelov had received numerous death threats for his work on behalf of the family of Kungaeva.

Anatoly Bagmet of the Moscow public prosecutor’s office, who is leading the investigation into the shooting of Markelov and Baburova, said the investigation will look into possible connections with Markelov’s work.

Markelov was also working on behalf of anti-fascists who had become victims of hate crime.

The Swedish Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, Östgruppen, condemned the murders of Markelov and Baburova.

“We are devastated by these murders, which once again bring the exposed situation of Russian human rights defenders and independent journalists into public focus,” said Martin Uggla, Östgruppen’s chairman.

Amnesty International, who worked with Markelov on several cases, also strongly condemned the murder.

“Stanislav Markelov is yet another victim – very possibly murdered for his professional and courageous work to defend human rights,” said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.

The human rights organisation, which expressed sympathy for the family of Stanislav Markelov, urged the Russian authorities to investigate the murder promptly, fully and objectively.

“Stanislav Markelov’s murder is a despicable crime,” Duckworth said. “The Russian authorities must take decisive steps to show that such crimes will not be tolerated. Silencing those who defend human rights and work to uphold the rule of law is absolutely unacceptable.”

In 2004, Amnesty International campaigned on Markelov’s behalf after he had been attacked, beaten and had documents stolen relating to his work on behalf of the family of Zelimkhan Murdalov, a young Chechen man who was subjected to torture and enforced disappearance by Russian law enforcement official Sergei Lapin.