Natalya Estemirova, courageous human rights worker for Chechnya, has passed. She was known for challenging the unethical Chechnyan government and was vocal about the kidnappings and killings going on in her notoriously violent country. She worked hard for the better cause at Memorial, a human rights organization in Chechnya’s capital. She openly criticized both Chechnya’s laws and their president, which resulted in death threats ranging from the authorities to President Kadyrov himself. On July 15th, she was kidnapped outside her house and was shot to death, her body carelessly left near a highway. She was only fifty years old.
This tragic incident brings to mind Benazir Bhutto’s death not too long ago. Both of them were strong, selfless women who put themselves in unimaginably dangerous situations to fight for what they knew was the right thing. -Sylvie
Photo courtesy of NYTimes.
