[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 105 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S5957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING NATALIA ESTEMIROVA

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, on July 15, 2009, Natalia Estemirova, head 
of the Memorial Human Rights Center in Grozny, Chechnya, was abducted 
from her home and murdered. Estemirova belonged to a tradition of 
Russian heroism, persevering for truth and justice in spite of great 
danger, but she deserves recognition from all nations.
  Today, as we commemorate the 1-year anniversary of her tragic 
passing, it is fitting to recall the words of the Memorial's founder, 
Andrei Sakharov:

       You always have to be aware of [your ideals], even if there 
     is no direct path to their realization. Were there no ideals, 
     there would be no hope whatsoever. Then everything would be 
     hopelessness, darkness--a blind alley.

  In her life and in her work, Estemirova radiated hope in the face of 
adversity, and was steadfast in her ideals even when pursuing them 
entailed great risk and personal sacrifice.
  Natalia Estemirova was born in 1958 to a Russian mother and a Chechen 
father, embodying in her parentage what was to become her life's 
calling: reconciling both peoples through her keen sense of justice and 
singular commitment to the truth. A widow and a mother, a teacher and 
an advocate, Estemirova found her purest voice in Chechnya. Her 
reporting on the second Chechen war and its aftermath exposed countless 
abuses committed by both sides, and provided an invaluable source of 
information to the outside world.
  Estemirova was no stranger to controversy. On more than one occasion, 
her work raised the ire of the local authorities, and twice she was 
forced to flee her homeland. But Estemirova was not one to surrender to 
fear. It is said that above all she was motivated by the love of her 
daughter, Lana, and the desire to help the victims of Chechnya's tragic 
wars.
  And help other people she did. From the wrongly accused in need of 
legal assistance to the families in search of their loved ones, 
Estemirova provided solace and service to generations of Russians. She 
pursued hidden graves, requested investigations from the authorities, 
and gave voice to Chechens by bringing their cases to the European 
Court of Human Rights.
  Estemirova knew better than anyone about the tenuous stability that 
reigns in Chechnya. She knew that corruption there could spread to 
neighboring provinces and corrode the institutions of the Russian 
state. She knew that violence and instability are seldom contained 
within internationally recognized borders. And she believed that 
justice for victims must be at the center of any effort to rebuild 
societies devastated by war.
  On this day, we are called to remember Estemirova's generosity of 
spirit and dedication of purpose in spite of the many blind alleys that 
confronted her in life. Her voice may be silenced, but her message of 
hope and reconciliation endure.

                          ____________________