Viktor Popkov
Viktor Popkov | |
---|---|
Виктор Попков | |
Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | |
Died | 2 June 2001 | (aged 54)
Cause of death | Assassination (shot) |
Nationality | Russian |
Spouse | Tatyana Popkova |
Website | viktorpopkov.narod.ru |
Viktor Alekseyevich Popkov (
A deeply religious
Popkov died on June 2, 2001, after being shot during a
Early life and activism
Viktor Alekseyevich Popkov was born on 17 June 1946, in
Caucasus activity
In 1992, Popkov founded and then led the
Popkov began working in
In 1999 he conducted a 40-day hunger strike in protest at the renewed war in Chechnya.[2] Afterwards, he became involved in attempts to restore contacts between Chechen Republic President Aslan Maskhadov and the Russian federal authorities.[6] During the Second Chechen War, Popkov often was arbitrarily detained by the security forces and his humanitarian activities were severely hindered by the Russian military.[1][2][7] He was also frequently detained and threatened by some of the Chechen field commanders.[2]
Death
On 2 June 2001, Popkov was assassinated near the village of Alkhan-Kala, Chechnya, while delivering medical supplies to civilians after a battle had recently taken place there. His ambulance was ambushed in the vicinity of a Russian Army checkpoint by masked gunmen in a Lada car, who opened fire with an automatic weapon and then drove away.[1] The attackers were said to be Chechen Islamic fundamentalists in collusion with the Russian forces, and in 2002 Memorial pinpointed them to be members of an armed group led by the notorious warlord Arbi Barayev.[8][9]
Popkov's condition was irreversibly aggravated when the troops at the checkpoint held him, his driver, and a Chechen doctor Rosa Muzarova (all of whom suffered serious injuries in the attack and were heavily bleeding) for reportedly one to three hours following the shooting.[10] By the time the wounded were taken to Hospital No. 9 in Grozny, their condition was critical and Popkov was already in coma.[11] Viktor Popkov died in the Vishnevsky 3rd Central Military Clinical Hospital in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, without regaining consciousness, leaving behind a seriously ill widow Tatyana and a disabled daughter Ulyana.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Bozhko, Stanislav (22 June 2001). "He Died for His Ideals". The St. Petersburg Times. No. 680. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05.
- ^ a b c d e Corley, Felix (21 June 2001). "Obituary: Viktor Popkov". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2006-06-21 – via somnenie.narod.ru.
- ^ Cherkasov, Alexander (18 January 2004). "The lost Chegem". eng.kavkaz.memo.ru. Memorial. Archived from the original on 2004-03-06.
- ^ Specter, Michael (8 January 1995). "For Russia's Troops, Humbling Days". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ Krylovskiy, Vladimir; Poupko, Victoria (2002). ""Rebyata (Guys!)! Don't kill me - I have small children!"". Amina.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12.
- ^ Roshchin, Mikhail. "Vigil for Peace". Power of Goodness: Stories of Nonviolence and Reconciliation. Archived from the original on 2008-01-28.
- ^ "The Silencing of Human Rights Defenders in Chechnya and Ingushetia" (PDF). International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. 15 September 2004. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- PBS Frontline. September 2003. Archived from the originalon 2007-11-17.
- ^ "Appeal to the UN Commission for Human Rights". old.memo.ru. Memorial. 27 March 2002. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- The Jamestown Foundation. 12 June 2001. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ Gannushkina, Svetlana. "Necrolog". Archived from the original on 2006-06-21 – via somnenie.narod.ru.
External links
- Soviet Abkhazia 1989: Facts and Thoughts by Viktor Popkov
- Appeal to the journalists and public figures who recognize the need to stop the war in Chechnya and to start political peace negotiations
- Viktor Popkov 1952-2001 Russian human rights campaigner, peacemaker and negotiator in Chechnya Religious Society of Friends
- Human rights activist shot in Chechnya, BBC News, 21 April 2001
- "Rights worker shot in Chechnya". CNN. April 21, 2001. Archived from the original on 2007-10-29.
- Face to faith. The peacemakers of the Caucasus must never give up, The Guardian, October 7, 2006
- (in Russian) Viktor Popkov's website
- (in Russian) Internet library with Popkov's publications
- (in Russian) Another site about Popkov
- (in Russian) Russia after the elections, interview with Vanessa Redgrave, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2000
- (in Russian) Who shot Viktor Popkov?, Novaya Gazeta 2001