Ogulsapar Muradova dead
Based in Ashgabat, Muradova reported on human rights issues in Turkmenistan for RFE/RL. A staunch defender of human rights, she was also a member of the Turkmen Helsinki Federation. In a sweeping campaign by the Turkmen government to crack down on dissidents, Muradova, 58, was arrested in June 2006 and died mysteriously in September of that year. Family members reported seeing marks of torture and a “large wound” on the journalist’s head. She left behind three daughters.