Russian President grants Order of Courage posthumously to Dagestan journalist

Dmitri Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, has signed a decree on awarding former head of the GTRK "Dagestan" Gadzhi Abashilov, assassinated in March 2008, with the Order of Courage.

According to the decree, Gadzhi Abashilov was awarded "for courage and fidelity to principles in defending general human values, exhibited shown in execution of one's civic duty."

Gadzhi Abashilov was a journalist, well-known in the Republic. For more than 10 years he edited the weekly "Youth of Dagestan", popular in the Republic. He held the post of Director of the GTRK "Dagestan" for a bit more than a year. In March 1999, he was elected Deputy of the National Assembly of Dagestan.

Gadzhi Abashilov, Chairman of the GTRK "Dagestan", was shot dead on March 21, 2008, in the dwelling district "Uzbekgorodok" located in the central part of Makhachkala.

On the following day, the Investigatory Committee stated Mr Abashilov's professional activities as the most probable reason of the murder.

The authorities have announced a 10 million roubles reward for any reliable information about the customers and executors of Gadzhi Abashilov's murder.

After a while, detention of the executors of the murder was announced.

However, until now the names of the detainees have not been disclosed, and there is no information about the progress of the investigation and the customers of the murder.