German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Russia to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of Natalya Estemirova.  ‘Such a crime should not go unpunished, it will be most thoroughly investigated’, Medvedev has responded.  He has called the accusation that Kadyrov was behind her killing ‘primitive’ and suggested that it was more likely a plot to discredit the Kremlin.   ‘Did one of Estemirova’s most recent statements or ongoing investigations trigger an alarm signal within the upper echelons of the Chechen leadership?’ asks RFE/RL.  ‘The latest killing and the murder of Politkovskaya and Markelov are all links in one chain‘, says Chechen ombudsmen Nurdi Nukhazhiyev.  The New York Times reports that Estermirova’s funeral procession was broken up by police telling mourners a permit was required to march.  The Independent has an extract from an article that was written by Natalya Estemirova in August 2008 on the situation in Chechnya.  The Times features a ‘death in the line of duty’ list.