Nadezhda Chaikova
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Nadezhda Chaikova was a correspondent for the Russian weekly Obshchaya Gazeta.
She was known for her exposés of Russian military atrocities and close contacts with the Chechen rebels. Shortly before her death she have filmed[1] the results of the result of the fighting in the village of Samashki, destroyed by the Russian federal troops.[2] On March 20, 1996, Chaikova disappeared while on assignment.
Three weeks later on April 11, 1996, her body was found buried in the Chechen village of Geikhi, blindfolded and bearing signs of beatings. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the back of the head. While Russian federal troops are suspected in her death, the killing may have been ordered by Chechen fighters acting on rumors spread by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) that she was a spy.[3]
Her killing was strongly condemned by the UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor: "It is with profound indignation that I have learned of the assassination of Nadezhda Chaikova. Her name must now be listed with those of other martyrs of independent Russian media like Vladislav Listyev and Dimitri Kholodov. In strongly condemning this murder, I remind all those who have recourse to violence that it has never solved problems but only makes them worse. I call on Russian and international public opinion to defend journalists working for independent and pluralistic media, for the sustainable development of free societies," Mayor said.[4]
