Russian Youth YABLOKO (youth faction of YABLOKO - ALDE Party full member) insists on investigation of the murder of Timur Kuashev (http://eng.yabloko.ru/?p=5524), opposition journalist and YABLOKO member, from the city of Nalchik, the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, the Caucasus.

 

Timur Kuashev, 26, wrote about human rights abuses by Russia's law enforcement in the course of anti-terrorism operations. He also criticised Russian policy towards Ukraine. Kuashev planned to run for Kabardino-Balkaria's Legislative Assembly in the September 2014 election as a YABLOKO candidate.

 

The journalist was gone on July 31, 2014, and the next day his body was found in the woods. A trace of a needle prick, likely an injection, was discovered under Kuashev's arm. However, the results of an expertise haven't been announced yet.

 

Sicne 2013 Timur Kuashev had received threats form law enforcement including the Center for Combating Extremism (or Center E, as it is usually referred to, whose officers spend their time monitoring civil activists, harassing them at rallies, and spying on opposition politicians). The journalist applied to police. However, police considered the information groundless and refused to file a criminal case. Kuashev's friends claim that Timur had received threats a few days before he was murdered. But he didn't believe that those who threatened would dare to fulfill the threats.

 

A criminal case on the murder was filed only due to public pressure and attention and only more than a month after Kuashev was murdered. The investigation hasn't found any suspects yet and the results of the injection expertise haven't been announced which makes it obvious that the authorities of Kabardino-Balkatia are not interested in finding those guilt of Kuashev's murder and try to slow the investigation down.

 

Prominent human rights organisations have called on investigation of Timur Kuashev's murder including OCSE (http://www.rferl.org/content/caucasus-report-kuashev-death-investigation...) and UNESCO (http://www.rferl.org/content/caucasus-report-kuashev-death-investigation...).

 

Youth YABLOKO have conducted a serious of actions (http://eng.yabloko.ru/?p=6815) demanding to investigate the murder of their colleague and filed applications to Russia's Prosecutor Generals Office and the Investigative Committee (http://eng.yabloko.ru/?p=7471).

 

Youth of Yabloko is actively involved in this issue and is asking international liberals raise awareness about this matter thus making sure the investigation will continue, since only strong public pressure can help restore justice.