Tsjechisch voorzitterschap spreekt zorgen uit over moorden op journalist en mensenrechtenadvocaat in Rusland (en)

The Presidency of the European Union expresses its deep concern about the murder of Russian human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and of the Novaya Gazeta journalist Ms. Anastasiya Baburova in Moscow on 19 January 2009.

Mr. Markelov, a leading European human rights defender, had represented numerous victims of human rights abuses and their families in the Chechen Republic in domestic and international jurisdictions.

The Presidency of the European Union sends its condolences to the families and colleagues of Stanislaw Markelov and Anastasiya Baburova. Sadly, the murder of Mr. Markelov is only the latest in a series of attacks on human rights defenders, journalists and NGO activists. The Presidency calls on the Russian authorities to ensure a thorough, prompt and impartial investigation, to bring all the perpetrators to justice.