MOSCOW, August 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russian rights groups said Chechnya had become unsafe for NGOs following the latest murder of a children's charity head and called for a thorough probe into the slaying, Human Rights Watch in Moscow said on Tuesday.
Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband, who worked for Let's Save the Generation, an organization working with children affected by the Chechnya conflicts, were kidnapped on Monday. Their bodies were found in the trunk of their car early on Tuesday. Both had been shot in the head and chest.
The killings come less than a month after the murder of Chechen rights activist Natalya Estemirova, which caused outrage among Russian rights campaigners and concern from the international community over the safety of NGO workers in the troubled republic.
Tatyana Lokshina said Human Rights Watch, Memorial, along with the murdered woman's colleagues, are urging a thorough investigation into "this shocking murder."
"It is obvious that working in Chechnya is now impossible for rights groups. The level of risk is over the top," Lokshina said.
Chechnya's president, meanwhile, pledged measures to uncover the crimes, saying it was a "matter of honor" to him.
"Bandits have been trying to sow fear and mistrust among people and to force society to give up efforts to rebuild the republic and force investors to drop projects in Chechnya," Ramzan Kadyrov said.
The mainly Muslim North Caucasus republic, which saw two separatist wars with Moscow in the late 1990s-early 2000, had achieved relative stability under Kadyrov. However, violence resurged in Chechnya and nearby republics in recent months.
Sadulayeva and her husband, Alik Dzhabrailov, were taken from their organization's office in broad daylight on Monday by five men who said they were security officers. The gunmen also took their car. The car with the bodies was later found parked near the organization.
Kadyrov also suggested the killings may have been revenge-related as Dzhabrailov was a member of a militant group at one time and received a four-year prison sentence for his involvement.
The blood feud tradition is still strong in the Caucasus, and relatives often seek revenge after the death of a family member or insult.
Russia's top prosecutor has taken charge of the investigation, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.
