The United States called on Russia on July 14 to find and bring to justice the people responsible for murdering two journalists in Russia.
Natalya Estemirova, renowned for her writing and activism on human rights abuses in the North Caucasus, was kidnapped in Chechnya and found dead in the Ingushetia region of Russia on July 15, 2009.
American journalist and editor Paul Klebnikov, who exposed official corruption and graft while working for Forbes magazine in Russia, was gunned down near the Forbes offices in Moscow on July 9, 2004.
Neither the killers nor those who may have ordered the crimes have been brought to justice in either case.
"The United States once again calls for an end to the longstanding climate of impunity for extrajudicial killings – including the murder of journalists – in the North Caucasus and elsewhere in Russia," said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.
"We commend the efforts of brave journalists and human rights defenders who expose corruption and human rights abuses, and we urge the Russian Government to protect all of its citizens in accordance with international law."
