Gadzhi Abashilov

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Gaji Abashilov (Russian: Гаджи Абашилов; 1950 – 21 March 2008, Makhachkala) - was a Russian journalist and chief of Dagestan's outlet of state-owned VGTRK media company. He was assassinated in Makhachkala on 21 March 2008 at 19:45 local time.^[1]

Gaji Abashilov was born in the Gunib district of Dagestan, graduated from Dagestan State University (foreign languages faculty). In 1975-91 he was employed in local Komsomol structures, in late 80s he led Dagestani VLKSM Committee. In 1991-2006 he was chief editor of "Molodezh' Dagestana" (Молодежь Дагестана, Youths of Dagestan).

In 1999 he was elected a member of local legislature, then was appointed deputy head of republican Ministry of information. In January 2007 he became a chief of TV company "Dagestan", local outlet of VGTRK.

Gaji Abashilov was assassinated in the evening of March 21; his car was fired on in the central part of Makhachkala. In the early hours of the same day another Dagestani journalist, Ilyas Shurpayev, who had worked for years in the republic as a correspondent of NTV and Channel One was found strangled.