Russia
Two Russian journalists killedPosted Apr 19 2008
Two Russian journalists were found killed on March 21 according to Russian news sources. Both were responsible for covering the North Caucasus region.
Journalist Ilyas Shurpayev was found stabbed and strangled in his Moscow apartment. The suspects are two male visitors he admitted into his apartment the night of the murder around 2 a.m., according to his building's concierge. Shurpayev had recently moved to Moscow from his native Dagestan in the North Caucasus where he was a correspondent for Channel One, the Russian state television station. He had also previously worked in Dagestan for NTV, another state owned channel. The Investigative Committee of Russia's Prosecutor General's office has opened a criminal case into the murder, investigating Shurpayev's “private matters” and journalism for motive, the deceased's former employer Channel One stated.
News agency RIA Novosti reported that Gadzhi Abashilov, head of the state radio and television company Dagestan, was found shot dead in his car the same day in Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala. The Prosecutor General's office has also taken an interest in this case, with Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika heading the investigation himself. Chaika was the same prosecutor general in control of the murder investigation of journalist Anna Politskovskaya.