Rights defenders express solidarity with Milashina and Nemov

The Council of Russian Human Rights Defenders has treated the attack on Elena Milashina, a journalist of the "Novaya Gazeta" outlet, and Alexander Nemov, an advocate, committed in Chechnya, as an attempt to intimidate authorities' critics, and expressed solidarity with them.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 4, in Chechnya, an armed group of people attacked Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov, who arrived in Chechnya to attend the trial of Zarema Musaeva.

The Council of Russian Human Rights Defenders has noted that the organizers of the attack intended to intimidate critics of the authorities, and that such attacks on oppositionists, independent media professionals, activists and lawyers have been committed for many years.

"We, like many citizens of Russia, will continue our fight and will not leave the cause of helping victims of crime, violence and lawlessness. <…> We express our solidarity with Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov and admire their courage. Their example shows that there are fearless people in Russia, true to their cause," Alexander Cherkasov, a human rights defender, has stated in his Facebook* page.

The statement was signed by 17 people.

Earlier, 13 Russian and foreign human rights organizations also demanded from authorities to conduct an efficient inquiry into the attack on Milashina and Nemov.

The above Council of Russian Human Rights Defenders is an advisory body whose mission is to coordinate actions in the new working conditions in Russia, the "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence has reported.