Nadezhda Chaikova
Encyclopedia
Nadezhda Chaikova (1963–1996) was a correspondent
for the Russian weekly Obshchaya Gazeta. A college of Anna Politkovskaya
, she had traveled frequently to Chechnya
and neighbouring regions. Near the end of the war in 1996 she was kidnapped and killed by unidentified gunmen.
. Before coming to Obshchaya Gazeta, she had worked in radio and the state news agencies ITAR-TASS and RIA Novosti.
During the war in Chechnya, Chaikova was known for her exposé
s of Russian military atrocities and close contacts with the Chechen
resistance. She was known for her hard-hitting coverage of the First Chechen War
and issues such as the use of special "filtration camps" by Russian authorities to control the population. Shortly before her death, Chaikova managed to film the devastation and civilian victims in the wake of the Russian raid on the village of Samashki
.
handgun while she was in kneeling position.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists
, the killing may have been work of Russian federal troops angered at her work, in particular the filming of Samashki, or might have been ordered by the Chechen rebels acting on rumors spread by the Russian FSB security service that she was a spy. The federal government never investigated the murder, as the criminal inquiry was soon halted by the federal Russian prosecutor's office "for lack of evidence and substance of a crime." However, according to Russian special services in 2002, Chaykova was killed by people from the Department of State Security of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
. Chaikova herself had written a letter in which she wrote: "In case I am killed or wounded, you should blame the Russian army or the Russian security services. Please do not put the blame for this on the so-called 'Dudaev's fighters'". She also did leave a video tape, later smuggled out of Chechnya and delivered to her newspaper, on which she revealed how the FSB had been repeatedly trying to turn her into an informant and that she had refused to comply. Death threats then began and soon after this she was dead.
Her killing was strongly condemned by the UNESCO
Director-General Federico Mayor
: "It is with profound indignation that I have learned of the assassination of Nadezhda Chaikova. Her name must now be listed with those of other martyrs of independent Russian media like Vladislav Listyev
and Dimitri Kholodov
. In strongly condemning this murder, I remind all those who have recourse to violence that it has never solved problems but only makes them worse. I call on Russian and international public opinion to defend journalists working for independent and pluralistic media, for the sustainable development of free societies."
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for the Russian weekly Obshchaya Gazeta. A college of Anna Politkovskaya
Anna Politkovskaya
Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist, author, and human rights activist known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin...
, she had traveled frequently to Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
and neighbouring regions. Near the end of the war in 1996 she was kidnapped and killed by unidentified gunmen.
Biography
Historian-orientalist by education, Chaikova graduated from the historical faculty of Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
. Before coming to Obshchaya Gazeta, she had worked in radio and the state news agencies ITAR-TASS and RIA Novosti.
During the war in Chechnya, Chaikova was known for her exposé
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
s of Russian military atrocities and close contacts with the Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
resistance. She was known for her hard-hitting coverage of the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
and issues such as the use of special "filtration camps" by Russian authorities to control the population. Shortly before her death, Chaikova managed to film the devastation and civilian victims in the wake of the Russian raid on the village of Samashki
Samashki
Samashki is a village on the western plains in Achkhoy-Martanovsky District of the Chechen Republic, Russia; since 1992 it is a border village with the Russian Republic of Ingushetia. The pre-war population of Samashki counted about 14,600 people .A railway line from Nazran to Grozny runs through...
.
Death
On March 20, 1996, Chaikova disappeared in Chechnya while on assignment; she was last seen alive near the village of Sernovodsk with a group of refugees from Samashki. Three weeks later on April 11, 1996, her body buried at a sewage pipe in the Chechen village of Gekhi was found by the village elders. Unable to identify her, three days later they buried the corpse in a corner of their local cemetery in accordance to the Chechen customs. Photos taken before her burial and a forensic examination of her body after exhumation by the local prosecutors suggest that she was blindfolded and bearing signs of severe beatings. The cause of death was determinted to be a gunshot wound to the back of the head, performed from a Makarov PMMakarov PM
The PM is a semi-automatic pistol design. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it became the Soviet Union's standard military side arm from 1951-1991.-Development:...
handgun while she was in kneeling position.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
, the killing may have been work of Russian federal troops angered at her work, in particular the filming of Samashki, or might have been ordered by the Chechen rebels acting on rumors spread by the Russian FSB security service that she was a spy. The federal government never investigated the murder, as the criminal inquiry was soon halted by the federal Russian prosecutor's office "for lack of evidence and substance of a crime." However, according to Russian special services in 2002, Chaykova was killed by people from the Department of State Security of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. The republic was proclaimed in late 1991 by Dzokhar Dudayev, and fought two devastating wars between separatists and the Russian Federation which denounced secession...
. Chaikova herself had written a letter in which she wrote: "In case I am killed or wounded, you should blame the Russian army or the Russian security services. Please do not put the blame for this on the so-called 'Dudaev's fighters'". She also did leave a video tape, later smuggled out of Chechnya and delivered to her newspaper, on which she revealed how the FSB had been repeatedly trying to turn her into an informant and that she had refused to comply. Death threats then began and soon after this she was dead.
Her killing was strongly condemned by the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Director-General Federico Mayor
Federico Mayor
Federico Mayor Zaragoza is a Spanish scientist, scholar, politician, diplomat and poet. He served as Director-General of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999.He is currently the Chairman of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace and member of the Honorary Board of the International Decade for the Promotion of...
: "It is with profound indignation that I have learned of the assassination of Nadezhda Chaikova. Her name must now be listed with those of other martyrs of independent Russian media like Vladislav Listyev
Vladislav Listyev
-External links:* - IFEX*...
and Dimitri Kholodov
Dmitry Kholodov
Dmitry Yuryevich Kholodov was educated as a physicist and began his working life, alongside his parents, at the defence industry institute in Klimovsk in the Moscow Region. Faced by limited career prospects he turned to journalism, first working for the local radio. In 1992 he became a reporter...
. In strongly condemning this murder, I remind all those who have recourse to violence that it has never solved problems but only makes them worse. I call on Russian and international public opinion to defend journalists working for independent and pluralistic media, for the sustainable development of free societies."