Human rights group, Memorial, has issued an appeal concerning the mounting threats against human rights defenders in Dagestan which were disseminated by leaflet on 23 August 2009. Please see the translated letter that follows:

To The President of the Republic of Dagestan M. Aliev The Prosecutor General of Russian Federation Y. Chaika The Director of Federal Security Service A. Bortnikov

We appeal to you regarding threats. A group of "relatives of killed policemen" claimed responsibility for some killings and made death threats to journalists, human rights activists and advocates in the distributed leaflet.

At the beginning of September 2009, hundreds of leaflets written on behalf of "relatives of policemen killed in Dagestan" have been distributed throughout Makhachkala. It is said in the leaflets that the relatives themselves will take revenge for those who have been killed and fight for the future of their children because the authorities of the republic can't fight against extremism. The threats were made against 250 people, among them, "the so-called human rights activists, stock advocates and tame journalists." 16 people are identified by name, among them, Bakanai Guseinova and Zaur Gaziev, ll members of the human rights organisation, Memorial, Sulaiman Uladiev, the head of broadcasting company, "Dagestan", Gadjimurad Kamalov, the founder of newspaper "Chernovik", and human rights defenders, Svetlana Isaeva and Isalmagomed Nabiev.

The leaflets dated 23 August 2009 stated that the sentence against "the group of bandits involved in terrorist acts and killings of officers of law enforcement authorities and civil citizens" had been carried out. This statement referred to Artur Butayev, Gadji Gudaliev and Amiraslan Islamov who were abducted and their bodies were found on August 26 in a burned out car.

Therefore either law enforcement authorities are trying to put responsibility for its crimes upon a secret organization of "avengers", or another terrorist group is being organized in Dagestan.

We urge you to do everything to guarantee the safety of the people whom the "avengers" called their enemies.

Orlov Oleg, Human Rights Center, Memorial

Ponomarev Lev, All-Russia Movement for Human Rights