Daily Journal:

We understand that working in Chechnya is still dangerous. Natasha Estemirova was killed. Some of our employees were forced to leave the republic due to a “direct and obvious threat” to their safety and lives. Dangerous - it's hard to argue with that. Except that...

Firstly, Memorial’s departure from Chechnya meant that the residents of the republic were left literally to their own devices... but not fate. This is exactly the result that local “human rights ombudsman” Nurdi Nukhazhiev, speaking on behalf of the Chechen authorities, demands from us: “Go away, leave us alone!” And “only good news” comes from the republic. At the same time, victims of arbitrariness - for example, relatives of the abducted - have nowhere to turn: in August, such people in the office of the “commissioner” did not even accept a statement, saying that after Natasha’s murder it was too dangerous.

Understanding all this, secondly, human rights activists from several organizations from regions of Russia - from the Volga region and the Urals - have come to the republic and have been working for several weeks now. Having formed a “mobile group”, they are doing the same thing that Memorial did - for example, trying to counter kidnappings and disappearances. They even manage to help specific people!

More than a hundred Russian organizations signed a letter in which, supporting this initiative, they call on Memorial to return to Chechnya.

Yesterday, leading international non-governmental human rights organizations announced that they would work together in the region.

Finally, my colleagues remain in Chechnya and find it impossible to stop their work. For various reasons - for example, because they consider it impossible to leave the affairs of the people whose management has been entrusted to them. These colleagues of mine should not remain in the position of enthusiasts; we cannot but bear responsibility for them.

So Oleg Orlov’s statement about the resumption of work at Memorial’s offices in Chechnya is by no means spontaneous. Russian and international human rights organizations will work with us.

But I wouldn’t focus on this event. It is much more important that the media write day after day about what is happening in the North Caucasus in general and, in particular, in Chechnya. This region should not become a “white spot” - “white spots” tend to turn into “black holes”.