Russian human rights activist kidnapped, killed

Natalya Estemirova, of the Russian human rights group Memorial, was kidnapped outside her home in Grozny, Chechnya, Oleg Orlov said, citing eyewitness reports.

She was later found dead in the neighboring Russian republic of Ingushetia, said Orlov, the head of the organization’s Moscow office.

Estemirova, 50, was a leading human rights activist in the North Caucasus area who had been openly criticizing Chechnya’s authoritarian president, Ramzan Kadyrov, and his methods.