Investigation Launched as Award-Winning Reporter Assaulted in Russia

Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation after award-winning journalist Yelena Milashina was severely beaten in Chechnya. Milashina, who covers rights abuses in the region, was attacked along with a lawyer during a work trip. She is currently in a difficult condition in a Moscow hospital. Genuine official investigations into rights abuses are rare in Chechnya, and international media advocates and rights groups have expressed concern over the incident. The attackers demanded Milashina's phone password and threatened to break her fingers. The Kremlin and Chechnya's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, have called for the identification of those responsible.