Human Rights Center “Memorial” reported that on July 8, 2010, at 12 a.m. in the Independent press-center at Moscow a press-conference which names “Questions to Investigation of Natalya Estemirova’s murder” took place.

Oleg Orlov, chair of the Board of Human Rights Center (HRC) “Memorial”; Svetlana Gannushkina, member of the Board of HRC “Memorial”, chair of the Civic Assistance committee, member of the Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation; Alexander Cherkasov, member of the Board of HRC “Memorial”; Tatyana Lokshina, Human Rights Watch researcher on Russia; Roman Karpinsky, lawyer of the aggrieved party were participated to press conference as speakers.

The well known human rights defender and head of HRC “Memorial”s Grozny branch, Natalya Estemirova was abducted in fron of her apartment in Grozny on July 15, 2009. The same day her body with shotgun wounds was found in a neighbouring Ingushetia. The so-called Russian investigation of Natalya’s murder still continues.

Alexander Cherkasov, Chairman of the Board of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial” told: “in recent months the investigation has chosen the only version: Natalia Estemirova was killed by militants from personal enmity and with the aim to compromise the [puppet] leadership of Chechnya”. According to Mr Cherkasov, the Chechen mujaheed Alkhazur Bashaev was appointed to the role of the gunman, “who is already dead, naturally.” Now, in his opinion, the case will be considered solved; and it will not brought to the court, where the supposed killer could have objected. Besides, all suspicions about involvement of [puppet] state officials in the crime will be refuted. “Other versions, first of all, those connected with the cases ran by Natalyaa, dealing with kidnappings, arbitrary executions, burning down houses by [puppet] law enforcers of Chechnya, remain un-investigated,” said Cherkasov.

Svetlana Gannushkina, chair of the “Civil Assistance” Committee, marked that during the first months inspectors interrogated employees of the “Memorial”. “The interrogations concerned Estemirova’s work and the cases that she dealt with (kidnappings, a public execution) during her last days. Identikits of two female witnesses of her kidnapping were compiled, but none of them have been ever found and interrogated,” said Ms Gannushkina.

Tatyana Lokshina, researcher of Human Rights Watch in Russia, “Nearly one year after the murder what was done? What was done for testing the versions of possible involvement of the national [puppet] government, [puppet] security forces in the murder of our colleague Natalya Estemirova?” she asked.

Oleg Orlov, head of HRC “Memorial”, emphasized that none of the cases which dealt by Natalya Estemirova in 2009, was not investigated: “Meanwhile, I am convinced that it is not possible to talk seriously about working off all the versions without having to details and did not investigate these cases, without establishing the perpetrators of those crimes,” said Orlov.