Human Rights Watch has released its annual report, noting a new trend of human rights abusers turning on activists and defenders of human rights and ‘attacking the very foundations of the movement‘.  The Russian chapter of the report (read it here) highlights last year’s ‘brazen murders‘, including the cases of Natalia Estemirova and Stanislav Markelov.  President Dmitry Medvedev meets today with the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner who has demanded a thorough investigation of Estemirova’s murder.  The young officer charged with the murder of journalist Konstantin Popov in a holding cell has ‘blamed a difficult home life‘ for his actions.  Why has Alexander Berdnikov, governor of the Altai republic, been sworn into office for a second term, rather than investigated over his role in last year’s helicopter poaching accident, wonders ex Duma deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov.  Moscow’s police chief highlighted a rise in crime last year by ‘migrants‘.