A decade after my mother´s murder, fear still reigns in Chechnya | Lana Estemirova
(The Guardian Russia)

My mother, Natalya Estemirova, was shot dead for bringing war crimes to light. But I will make sure her death wasn´t in vainAged eight, I have a nightmare. Russian soldiers are breaking down the door of our flat. Mum and I run into the sunlit living room. A hand grabs me roughly and yanks me away from my mother, causing a sharp pain in my elbow. Her screams echo in my ears - but I can´t utter a word. Then I hear a cry so heart-rending that it turns into a hoarse rattle: `Lana!` I´m forced on to my knees in the dark corridor. `Please, please, spare her,` I beg, before hearing a shot. No more screams. I slowly look up at a soldier, but I can´t see his face. `Just kill me,` I whisper and hear another shot. There is a sharp pain in my chest and I feel myself going. Then I wake up. Related: Court in Chechnya banishes human rights activist to penal colony Related: This is Europe: stay close with the Guardian´s email updates Related: Who shot Russian human-rights campaigner Natalia Estemirova? Continue reading...