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Missing Russian human rights activists found dead (2nd Lead)
Aug 11, 2009, 6:31 GMT
Grozny, Chechnya/Moscow - The bodies of a prominent human rights activist and her husband have been found near Grozny, a day after they disappeared, confirmed Russian officials Tuesday.
The bodies of Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband Alik Djibralov were found in the luggage compartment of a car in a suburb of the Chechen capital of Grozny, reported the Interfax news agency, citing a police spokesman.
The two had been shot to death. Prosecutors have started an investigation into the murder.
The incident comes less than a month after the murder of Natalya Estemirova, another human rights activist operating in Chechnya, an incident which provoked a harsh outcry internationally.
Relatives had previously confirmed the deaths of Sadulayeva and Djibralov to the German Press Agency dpa from the Chechen capital Grozny.
Gunmen abducted the couple on Monday from their office, according to friends and relatives. Sadulayeva and her husband were forced into a car, said members of the human rights group Memorial.
Police in Chechnya initially said there was no indication of a kidnapping. Witnesses claimed the couple had entered the car of their own accord.
Sadulayeva headed the human rights group Let's Save the Generation, which works with young people in the troubled Russian republic.
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