Russian rights group says leading activist kidnapped from her home in Chechnya

Russian group says activist abducted in Chechnya

MOSCOW — A prominent Russian human rights group says its leading activist in Chechnya has been kidnapped.

Memorial chairman Oleg Orlov says that four men forced Natalya Estemirova into a car in the Chechen capital, Grozny, early Wednesday.

He said witnesses heard her yell that she was being abducted.

Orlov said that Chechen authorities had been highly critical of her work, which has included collecting evidence of kidnappings, torture and killings in Chechnya since the start of the second separatist war there in 1999.

Rights groups claim that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his militia are responsible for gross human rights violations. Kadyrov’s press service declined comment Wednesday.