Journalist gunned down in capital of Dagestan

Reporters Without Borders condemns the murder of Magomedvagif Sultanmagomedov, a Muslim scholar who was the head of Makhachkala TV and the Nurul Irshad (Light of Truth) publishing house, in Dagestan, in the Russian Caucasus, on 11 August. Sultanmagomedov was fatally injured when unidentified gunmen fired on him as he was driving his car in the centre of Makhachkala, Dagestan’s capital, and died a few hours later in a hospital. Colleagues believe that his murder was the result of his journalistic activities. Human rights activists have raised their concerns with the judicial authorities. Like them, Reporters Without Borders hopes that the authorities will do everything they can to identify the killers. According to the information obtained by Reporters Without Borders, Sultanmagomedov had opposed Wahhabi-inspired Islamic groups like the previous head of Makhachkala TV, Abdullah Alishayev, who was gunned down on 2 September 2008.