Investigations into the attack on Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov

Elena Milashina is a prominent human rights activist and Journalist for Novaya Gazeta, a leading media news outlet in Russia. En route to the hearing of activist Zarema Mussaeva, Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov were attacked by a group of unidentified people.

The pair were on their way to the Akhmatovsky district court, where the verdict announcement of Zarema Mussaeva's case was set to take place. Mussaeva had been prosecuted for fraud and the attack of an officer. The case against the activist had been dubbed 'politically motivated' by independent media outlets in Russia.

Hours after the attack, the hearing took place. Without her lawyer, Alexander Nemov, present, Mussaeva was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.

Speaking of Milashina's work, Olga Sadovskaya, the Chair of the human rights organisation Crew Against Torture, said: "Since for the last decade or even longer, she's unveiling human rights crimes that are committed by the local authorities in the region."

Sadovskaya added: "I would say that 90 per cent of the independent journalists who covered these kinds of topics have already left Russia in order to remain able to cover these kinds of violations."

On 4 July 2023, a group of masked individuals blocked the cars of Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov, amid their journey from the airport to Chechnya, Russia. Milashina and Nemov were dragged out of the vehicle, brutally beaten and threatened with death.

Nemov, who was also stabbed in the leg, recalled: "They stopped, dragged us from the car, threw us down on the side of the road, and started kicking us and beating us with rods – hitting our faces and all over our bodies."

The masked individuals had a gun held to their heads and told Milashina and Nemov: "You have been warned. Get out of here and do not write anything."

At the end of the attack, Milashina noted that the masked individuals "told us to count to a hundred, face down on the ground. Sasha and I lay down, counted, and then got up. They ran back over, hit us hard, and then told us to count to a hundred again. And that was it."

Alexander Nemov and Elena Milashina later arrived at a hospital in Chechnya. When Elena Milashina arrived, it was clear that her fingers had been broken, and her head had been shaved. Elena Milashina's head was also covered in an antiseptic green dye substance, and she had dark bruises all over her body.

Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Milashina lost consciousness several times due to the brutal beating. As a result of the attack, Milashina was diagnosed with multiple fractures and damage to the brain.

Olga Sadovskaya, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, revealed that: "They were severely beaten. Elena has – at the moment, she has brain concussion. She was constantly losing consciousness. Elena's back is absolutely black."

In a statement, Sergey Babinets, the Head of Crew Against Torture, declared: "This is clearly not a gangster attack, this is a direct attack for their work."

It was reported that when he arrived at the hospital, Alexander Nemov struggled to speak. It was also reported that Nemov had difficulty moving around.

Immediately after the attack, the Head of the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case. Members of the Federal Parliament in Russia also spoke out against the brutality of the crime and called for the attack to be investigated further.

So far, there has been no official investigation into the attack on Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are calling on the Russian government to hold to account the perpetrators. The organisations are also calling for the Russian authorities to carry out investigations into past attacks on journalists, activists and government critics.

The list of NGOs includes Crew Against Torture, Amnesty International, and Front-Line Defenders. However, the International Federation for Human Rights, and the Human Rights Watch are also advocating for justice.