A prominent lawyer who had opposed the early release of a Russian army officer convicted of murdering a Chechen girl was shot dead on Monday not far from the Kremlin.
Stanislav Markelov was one of Russia's best known human rights lawyers. The 34-year-old was gunned down in a central Moscow street shortly after giving a briefing to reporters.
A female journalist who was with him was also shot and critically wounded. Markelov had unsuccessfully led legal attempts to block the early release of a senior Russian army officer, who was convicted of the rape and murder of an 18-year-old Chechen girl in 2000.
Helen Long reports.
