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By Root 1138 0

André Glucksmann, Gloria Steinem, Sergey Kovalyov, Terry Waite, CBE, Susan Sarandon, Alexei Simonov, Gillian Slovo, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Marek Edelman (the last surviving leader of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising), Elisabeth Rehn, Mariane Pearl, Adam Michnik, Asma Jahangir, Sister Helen Prejean, Ariel Dorfman, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael Cunningham, Eve Ensler, John Sweeney, Jonathan Schell, Noam Chomsky, Marina Litvinenko, Lyudmila Alekseeva, Desmond O’Malley, Anne Nivat, Victor Fainberg, Lord Frank Judd, Lord Nicolas Rea, Lord Anthony Giddens, Lord Nazir Ahmed, Baroness Shirley Williams, Baroness Molly Meacher, Sir Nigel Rodley, Professor Yakin Erturk, Anna’s sister, Elena Kudimova, Natasha Kandic, Caroline McCormick, Sister Marya Grathwohl, Heidi Bradner, Meglena Kuneva, Elizabeth Kostova, Esther Chavez, John D. Panitza, Dubravka Ugresic, Katrina van den Heuvel, Victor Navasky, Aidan White, Holly Near, Elizabeth Frank, and many others. Natalia Estemirova said,

“I am proud to receive an award in Anna’s name and honoring what Anna stood for. This award is extremely important for me and my colleagues, because it will enable us to continue our work for human rights in Chechnya and to further help the victims of this war.

“Freedom is not something given to a person. Freedom matters only if you feel free inside yourself. Anna was an absolutely free person.

“I would like to say to the people of Europe: please do not forget that Chechnya is in Europe. Please know that we are human beings like you, we want the same things as you do. And do not ignore our suffering in exchange for cheap gas and oil. There is no such thing as suffering that can be contained behind closed doors without eventually also affecting all of us. Please stand up to protect our lives and to restore our human dignity, because in doing so, you help preserve your own.”

[Natalia Estermirova was abducted and murdered in Chechnya on July 15, 2009.]

* Ivan Kivelidi (1949–95) was Chairman of the Board of Rosbiznesbank. On August 1, 1995 an exotic poison was put in the telephone receiver in his office, and he died in hospital on August 5.

Glossary

People:

Alkhanov, Alu: elected President of Chechnya in a much-disputed election in August 2004. He was dismissed by Putin in February 2007.

Basayev, Shamil: a leading commander of the Chechen guerrillas when Russia invaded Chechnya in 1994. Russian bombing killed 11 members of his family, after which he became a pitiless warrior. Accused of masterminding the hostage-takings at Nord-Ost and the First School in Beslan, both of which the Russian Government ended bloodily. Killed in an explosion in 2006.

Berezovsky, Boris: became an oligarch in the Yeltsin era and built a media empire that aided Yeltsin’s re-election, only to fall out with Putin over his opposition to the Chechen War and support for liberal and democratic causes in Russia. Now living in London. Accused Putin of responsibility for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a close associate, in 2006.

Dudayev Djohar: local politician who rose by referendum to become President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in 1991 and then unilaterally declared independence from the Soviet Union. He coordinated Chechnya’s forces during the First Chechen War and encouraged the guerilla operations which followed that. Akhmat-hadji Kadyrov, whom he appointed Mufti of Ichkeria, declared jihad on Russia. Dudayev was killed in April 1996 by Russian missiles after his mobile phone was intercepted.

Fridinsky, Sergey: Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Southern Federal Region, in charge of the failed attempt to extradite Akhmed Zakayev from the UK to Russia.

Gorbachev, Mikhail: last General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party (1984–90) and first executive President of the USSR (1990–1). His attempts to democratise the Communist regime led to its collapse.

Gryzlov, Boris: close ally of Putin and Interior Minister 2001–03, since when he has been Speaker of the State Duma.

Kadyrov, Akhmat: pro-Moscow Chechen Mufti, later “President” of Chechnya, assassinated the day after attending