Founder of political newspaper shot dead in Russia's Dagestan

[News_Editor]

Founder of political newspaper shot dead in Russia's Dagestan

2011-12-17 07:32:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- A leading Russian journalist and the founder of a local political newspaper was killed by a gunman on late Thursday evening, officials said on Friday. Human rights organizations are calling for a full investigation.

Khadzhimurad Kamalov, the founder of the weekly political newspaper 'Chernovik' (Rough Copy), was shot by an unidentified gunman on late Thursday evening in front of the newspaper's editorial offices in central Makhachkala, the capital city of the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan.

According to witnesses, Kamalov had been working late and was accompanying a friend to the door when at least one masked gunman fired 14 times shots before fleeing the scene in a black Lada car. Emergency services were quick to respond, but Kamalov died in an ambulance while en-route to a local hospital.

A spokesman for the local investigation committee said an investigation has been launched, and a group of investigators have been put on the case. No arrests were made as of late Friday evening, but officials said they are working on the assumption that the murder is linked to Kamalov's work as a journalist.

Several organizations immediately expressed their concern about the killing, including Reporters Without Borders which urged authorities to conduct a swift, complete and impartial investigation. "The impunity with which journalists are murdered in Dagestan and the rest of Russia is intolerable," the organization said. "Kamalov's murder will have a major intimidatory effect on all of Dagestan's journalists."

Tanya Lokshina, senior Russia researcher at Human Rights Watch, also condemned the murder. "This is a tremendous blow for the independent press in Dagestan," she said. "There is hardly any doubt that Kamalov was killed because he was doing his job, in a region that is now known as Russia's most unstable."

Dunja Mijatović, the Representative on Freedom of the Media for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), urged authorities to ensure the safety of all journalists. "Daghestan and the Northern Caucasus are known to be among the most dangerous places in the world for journalists," she said. "I am confident that the Russian authorities will not only investigate Kamalov's killing and bring the perpetrators to justice but they will also take pre-emptive measures to ensure that journalists working in the region can carry out their professional duties safely and without fear."

Kamalov was well known for his investigative coverage of sensitive subjects in Dagestan, including corruption, enforced disappearances and abuses against civilians by police and soldiers. Because the newspaper has frequently accused elements within the security forces of helping to destabilize the republic, prosecutors have accused it of supporting rebels.

In 2009, Kamalov was on an anonymous list of journalists, human rights activists and well-known figures which accused them of killing policemen by supporting the rebels. "Kamalov had not been the target of any particular threats of late," Chernovik editor Biyakay Magomedov told Reporters Without Borders. "It is hard for me to say which article in particular might have prompted his tragic death. But Chernovik has always had many enemies."

Magomedov said Kamalov's murder will result in journalists losing their motivation to do investigative and independent journalism. "Our many appeals to Moscow have received no response," the editor said. "The federal security forces and authorities have shown no interest in solving the murders of journalists in Dagestan."

The volatile region of Dagestan neighbors Chechnya where around 50 percent of all militant attacks in Russia last year took place. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a total of 20 journalists have been murdered in Russia since 2000. Seven of those were in the North Caucasus, all which remain unsolved.

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