In this image posted by Novaya Gazeta Europe on its website Novayagazeta.eu on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milashina is seen sitting after receiving medical treatment in Grozny, Russia. Unidentified masked assailants attacked and beat the journalist and a lawyer in the Russian province of Chechnya, a violent incident that continued a pattern of rampant human rights abuses in the region. (Novaya Gazeta Europe Novayagazeta.eu via AP) Novaya Gazeta Europe Novayagazeta.eu
Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov had just arrived in Chechnya to attend the trial of Zarema Musayeva, the mother of two local activists who have defied the Chechen authorities.
Just as they were leaving the airport, several vehicles blocked their car and the two were hit by masked people who put guns to their heads and tore up their equipment.
Milashina suffered brain injuries and several broken fingers, while Nemov received a deep cut on his leg, according to Novaya Gazeta. They were taken to a hospital in Chechnya’s main city, Grozny, where Milashina lost consciousness several times, the newspaper said. She was then taken by road to a neighboring region for medical treatment.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the incident. Peskov added that “it was a very serious attack that requires strong measures” from security agencies.
Russian human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova called on the authorities to investigate the assault on Milashina and Nemov.
Milashina has long denounced human rights violations in Chechnya and has faced threats, intimidation and attacks. In 2020, the reporter and a lawyer accompanying her were beaten by a dozen people in the lobby of her hotel.
Hours after the assault, a court in Grozny sentenced Zarema Musayeva to five and a half years in prison for insulting and violently resisting police, a charge that rights groups have dismissed as fabricated.
Musayeva has been in detention since her arrest in January 2022. Her husband, a former judge, and their two activist sons have left Chechnya. Chechen government leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Musayev’s family of having ties to terrorists and says they should be jailed or killed.
The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to maintain stability in the North Caucasus region after two devastating separatist wars. International rights groups have accused Kadyrov’s feared security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and kidnapping of dissidents.
Kadyrov’s influence has grown since the Russian campaign in Ukraine began, in which his security forces are actively involved.
Russian authorities have ignored repeated demands by international rights groups to end abuses in Chechnya.
Despite the Kremlin’s support, Kadyrov reportedly has tense relations with some of Russia’s security agencies. Tuesday’s attack sparked a quick and angry reaction from pro-Kremlin lawmakers, which could point to authorities’ intentions to call the Chechen leader to order.
Andrei Klishas, head of the constitutional affairs committee, said the attack on Milashina and Nemov required a “tough response” from security agencies. another parliamentarian, Alexander Khinstein, branded him a “criminal” and urged the prosecution to prioritize the case.
FUENTE: Associated Press
