[JURIST] Khasan Yandiyev, deputy head of the Supreme Court in Russia's Ingushetia province [official website, in Russian; BBC backgrounder] was shot dead Sunday while changing a car tire near the town of Karabulak, according to a regional interior ministry spokesman quoted by Russian media. His killers have not yet been identified. Local media said Yandiyev had chaired trials of both corrupt officials and Islamic rebels. RIA Novosti has local coverage. Reuters has more.

In recent months, Ingushetia has seen an upsurge of violence, particularly targeted towards police and the military. Local authorities blame Muslim rebels from both Ingushetia and neighboring Chechnya [JURIST news archive], but government opponents blame increasingly harsh policing tactics including the alleged abductions, beatings, and even killings [advocacy report, PDF] of suspected militants.