Amnesty International’s France based branch has started a campaign called “the Signature Marathon”, designed to defend human rights activists who are in danger. The organization asked for the opinions of comedians, writers, composers, directors and journalists for the campaign. Romain Goupil, the director of “Les mains en l’air (Hands Up)” wrote for the slain Chechen human rights defender Natalya Estemirova and Anna Politkovskaya. Amnesty International has asked that people of goodwill sign their petition to ask for justice for Natalya Estemirova.

Here is Roman Goupil’s article:

Natalya…

Who benefits from the assassination of Natalya ESTEMIROVA?

The benefit of this crime is immense for all those who want to continue to ensure their impunity, whatever its cost.
The profit is great for all those who were fed in the school of arbitrariness, barbarity, cupidity, murder, and corruption during the long wars in Chechnya.
Those who imposed a ruthless terror reign.
Those who are now rewarded with the positions, the responsibilities, the privileges, and the money.

I knew Anna POLITKOVSKAYA.

She was beautiful and decisive. She warned us constantly about the dangers which were posed against all of us by Crime University: “The criminals are the strongest, only because the democrats are not enough, attentive to discover, and exigent”.

She worried and with the help of Natalya Estemirova she tirelessly complained about all of the unpunished crimes in Chechnya:
The rapes,
The murder of children,
The abductions,
The disappearances,
The dead or living human body trafficking,
The filtration camps,
The horrific torture…

They were beautiful and alive. I remember the graceful gestures of Anna, a very pretty ring on her finger. I remember her concerns and determinations: “…This impunity is necrosis of the future of Russia…”

Their struggle was obvious:

Getting a bit, oh, just a little justice,
For the terrorized victims,
For the destroyed villages by a merciless terror,
For the civilians who were burned alive in the “human bundles”,
For everyone who agonized in the “pits of wolves”.

They were ASSASINATED because they represented a threat and because they have never ceased to demand justice! The assassins haven’t been mistaken; they definitely wanted to silence those who have never given up demanding the guilty be held accountable.

They want to continue to reign.

They want to continue to be the lords of terror, torture, trouble, injustice, and in this way their reign continues through the complicity of all who benefit from it.

Anna is killed, Natalya is killed.

Zarema, Aslan, Samba, Anastasia, Stanislav, Alexander, Sergei… 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009…

Constantly, these criminals kill and assassinate in order to silence those who can testify, assist, advocate, denounce by writing these criminals who conduct abominations, who have denied any dignity of civilians and combatants, who now again and always are benefiting from all their crimes!

Anna had a life, a family, a son, passions; Natalya was surrounded by friends, children and relatives… Read, walked, discussed, loved and was loved…

They were generous…

They died for the ideas of human beings, the respect and the dignity…

They died for the sake of our humanity…

We know their killers!

We demand that a court judge them in the name of the respect for their rights, and human rights!

23.04.2012
Roman Goupil

*Text was translated by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco