[JURIST] Russian prosecutors have opened separate murder investigations after two journalists were found dead Friday. Ilyas Shurpayev [personal blog], a correspondent for Russia's state-run Channel One [media website, in Russian], was found dead with stab wounds and a belt around his neck when firefighters responded to a fire, apparently set after the attack. Hours before his death, Shurpayev reportedly made a blog post complaining that he had been banned from writing columns for a newspaper in Dagestan and saying "I am now a dissident." AP has more. Reuters has additional coverage.

Also Friday, the head of Dagestan's state TV and radio company Gadzhi Abashilov was killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car. Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika [official website, in Russian] said he would take "personal" charge of the Abashilov investigation. It was not clear whether the two cases were related. RIA Novosti has more. Reuters has additional coverage.