Irina Bokova, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), says that she expects the authorities to strain their efforts to investigate the circumstances of Timur Kuashev's death in Kabardino-Balkaria.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Timur Kuashev disappeared in the evening of July 31. On August 1, the journalist's body was found in a suburb of Nalchik. The forensic examination has revealed no signs of a violent death, and the journalist's relatives agreed to the autopsy. The results have not been reported yet. On August 2, the journalist was buried, and the funeral ceremony was attended by about 200 people.
"The right to freedom of expression and the right of journalists to carry out their professional activities without risk to their life are extremely important. I believe that the authorities will spare no effort in investigating the reasons of Timur Kuashev's death," said Irina Bokova, as quoted on August 7 by the official website of the UNESCO.
On August 4, the international Human Rights Watch (HRW) also made a statement on the need to quickly conduct an impartial and thorough investigation into the death of the journalist.
"There are strong reasons to suspect that a crime had been committed. Investigators should check the version of the journalist's murder because of his professional and social activities," said Hugh Williamson, Director of the HRW for Europe and Central Asia.