London - Amnesty International has condemned as a "despicable crime" the murder of campaigning Russian lawyer Stanislav Markelov and called on the authorities to make clear that such crimes will not be tolerated.

In a statement released in London late Monday, the human rights group said: "Stanislav Markelov is yet another victim - very possibly murdered for his professional and courageous work to defend human rights."

Amnesty urged the Russian government to investigate the murder "promptly, fully and objectively" and called on the authorities to "take decisive steps" to show that such such crimes would not be tolerated. (dpa)