UN experts call on Russia to investigate “violent attack” on journalist Yelena Milashina

July 8 () –

UN experts have been “dismayed” by the “violent physical attack” against the award-winning Russian journalist Yelena Milashina and her lawyer, Alexander Nemov, and have called on Russia on Friday to investigate to “bring their perpetrators to justice and who ordered it.”

This is “another example of the blatant disregard for the safety of journalists and human rights defenders” and the risks they both face “in their efforts to protect human rights and seek justice for victims in Russia and, particularly, in the Republic of Chechnya”, the group has argued in an official note.

In the same statement they have assured that they will closely follow this case, “which is another attempt to silence the independent voices that advocate for justice for the victims of human rights violations in Russia.”

Thus, the United Nations experts have urged the Russian authorities to “carry out a prompt and thorough investigation of the case”, recommending that the case be transferred to another region “to guarantee the impartiality and independence” of the process.

Finally, they have demanded that Russia put an end to this “climate of impunity” and demonstrate its “will to create a favorable and safe environment for all journalists and defenders of Human Rights.”

A space, they added, “free from intimidation and threats” against the lives of these people, “in line with their international obligations and commitments.”

Milashina and Nemov were attacked Tuesday in the Chechen capital by a group of masked and armed men who stopped the vehicle in which they were traveling. After the attack, both were transferred to a hospital in the area, while their documents and belongings were destroyed.

The journalist and the lawyer intended to attend the trial against Zarema Musayeva, a 53-year-old woman who claimed to have been kidnapped by a group of men who claimed to be part of the Chechen police and who is being tried for allegedly violently resisting the agents. .

The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadirov, who had publicly charged Milashina, has called for doing “everything possible” to arrest the culprits. The Kremlin has also condemned these events, on which the Russian Investigative Committee has opened a case.