Russian rights activist kidnapped, found dead

By Aydar Buribayev and Amie Ferris-Rotman

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A prominent human rights activist was found dead after being kidnapped in Russia's troubled republic of Chechnya on Wednesday, provoking outrage from President Dmitry Medvedev and the international community.

Natalia Estemirova, a close friend of murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, worked for the human rights organisation Memorial in the Chechen capital Grozny and documented abuses by law enforcement agencies, colleagues said.

Her body was found in neighbouring Ingushetia.

"The news was reported to the president, he was outraged and gave all appropriate orders to the head of the investigations commission (Alexander) Bastrykin," Medvedev's spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said.

The killing came a week after U.S. President Barack Obama met with Russian civil society activists, including members of Estemirova's group. The White House National Security Council issued a strong statement of condemnation, saying it was "deeply disturbed and saddened."

"Such a heinous crime sends a chilling signal to Russian civil society and the international community and illustrates the tragic deterioration of security and the rule of law in the North Caucasus over the last several months," NSC spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement.

"We call upon the Russian government to bring to justice those responsible for this outrageous crime and demonstrate that lawlessness and impunity will not be tolerated," he said.

The murder is the latest in a series of killings of journalists and human rights defenders in Russia which has drawn international condemnation and led to questions about Medvedev's pledges to uphold the rule of law and build a freer society.