Russia: Fingers Broken, Head Shaved, Gun Pointed At Head Of Award-Winning Journalist Elena Milashina In Chechnya

The Coalition For Women In Journalism vehemently condemns the horrific vicious assault on a lauded journalist known for exposing human rights abuses in Chechnya

Location: Russia, Chechnya
Date: July 4, 2023

Award-winning journalist Elena Milashina’s fingers broken, beaten, head forcibly shaved, and threatened with gun against head by a masked group in Chechnya. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is horrified by this extremely severe assault and urges Russia's Commissioner for Human Rights to launch an immediate investigation.

On July 4, 2023, Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov arrived in Chechnya to report on a trial when armed assailants brutally beat them. Both were committed to a hospital in Grozny with multiple injuries.

Nemov recounted how on entering Chechnya from Northern Ossetia, three cars abruptly blocked their taxi, and they were confronted by assailants brandishing firearms.

The attackers broke Milashina's fingers, savagely kicked her in the face, and forcibly shaved her head before dousing her in green dye. As a result, Milashina suffered a concussion and is “constantly fainting,” Crew Against Torture says.

Elena Milashina in hospital in Grozny after the attack. CREDIT: Sergey Babinets Nemov was also brutally beaten and stabbed in the leg.

Assailants seized and destroyed all their equipment. Despite the immense physical and psychological trauma inflicted upon her, Milashina refused to surrender the code to her phone to attackers.

“Don’t write anything, and don’t come here. We warned you,” the armed group reportedly said to Milashnina and Nemov during the assault.

Human rights organization Crew Against Torture asserted that this heinous attack deliberately targeted Milashina and Nemov due to their journalistic work covering court cases. 

Milashina’s employer Novaya Gazeta released an official statement confirming the severity of the assault and requested the intervention of Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova in response to the attack.

The journalist and lawyer had traveled to Grozny to attend the verdict for Zarema Musayeva, the mother of a persecuted Chechen activist. Chechen security forces abducted Musayeva from Nizhny Novgorod in January 2022. On July 4, 2023, she was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison.

According to the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, President Putin has been briefed on the assault and deems it a "very serious attack" that requires swift and forceful action.

Chechen officials have distanced themselves from any involvement in the incident, with Soltayev, the Chechen official responsible for human rights, labeling it a bold and provocative act targeted at Chechnya.

Repeated attacks on Elena Milashina

Elena Mlashina is a well-respected, award-winning journalist who covers Chechnya for the independent Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta. Her dogged investigations have uncovered horrific human rights abuses. In 2017 Milashina exposed the violent purge of gay men by Chechen authorities. She has been beaten and repeatedly threatened over her reporting. 

In 2020, Elena Milashina was assaulted by a mob in a hotel in Grozny. The attack occurred while she was in Chechnya to cover the trial of a jailed blogger. After the incident, Milashina continued to receive online death threats.

In February 2022, Elena Milashina was forced to leave Russia following threats from Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. After her reporting exposed the involvement of Chechen authorities in threatening a former judge and his family, Kadyrov accused her of being a terrorist and called for her arrest.

Novaya Gazeta – Targeting of independent journalists

Nobel Peace Prize winner Novaya Gazeta, founded in 1993 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, has faced horrific consequences for its commitment to independent journalism and investigative reporting. 

Over the years, the outlet has experienced tragic losses, with six of its journalists and contributors murdered in connection with their work. Among them was renowned investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.

Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment building in central Moscow in 2006. Politkovskaya was widely recognized for her vocal opposition to the Chechen conflict and critical stance toward Vladimir Putin. Her death was shocking, highlighting the dangers faced by journalists who challenge the status quo and advocate for human rights.

In March 2022, amid the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Novaya Gazeta halted publishing due to heightened government censorship. The following month, a European version of the publication, Novaya Gazeta Europe, was established in Riga to circumvent censorship.

On June 28, 2023, the Russian general prosecutor's office deemed Novaya Gazeta Europe "undesirable," claiming that the outlet threatens Russia's constitutional order and security. This classification, which results in a ban on the organization's activities in Russia, carries severe penalties for anyone associated with it or who shares its content online. 

Novaya Gazeta Europe has vowed to continue publishing despite the ban.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is shocked by this brutal assault on Elena Milashina. Physical assaults on journalists are intended to intimidate and silence them. This affects the individuals directly involved and sends a chilling message to other journalists, discouraging them from pursuing investigative or critical reporting. 

Milashina’s investigative reporting has shone a light on the horrors faced by activists and minorities in Chechnya; she has suffered a litany of threats and assaults as a result. We demand that Russian authorities identify the attackers involved in the assault and call on Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner to investigate the incident immediately.  

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.