Source: HRO.org (info), 16/07/12

· Human rights defenders  · Ingushetiya · Chechnya · Victims of conflicts

On 15 July, protesters in Paris held a rally in remembrance of journalist and human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, who was kidnapped in Chechnya three years ago and found murdered in Ingushetia several hours later.

Approximately 30 people gathered on Stravinsky square in the Paris city centre and lay on the ground with bandaged mouths while holding a photograph of the murdered human rights activist, said Aleksei Prokopiev, a representative of the organization Russie-Libertés and one of the organizers of the protest. Dozens of Parisians walking past the site of the protest stopped to read the slogans calling for the protection of freedom of speech in Russia and for the immediate investigation into Natalya Estemirova’s murder, reports Radio Liberty.

Prokopiev said Russian human rights activists living in France remember all of the human rights defenders and journalists killed in Russia, and demand that Russian authorities guarantee the protection of individuals who are currently calling for greater freedom and development of democratic principles in Russia.

The Paris rally was held jointly with the Amnesty International branch in France.