Sapiyat Magomedova

Both trials related to the beating of human rights lawyer Ms Sapiyat Magomedova have been suspended indefinitely.

Further Information

Both cases relate to an incident which occurred on 17 June 2010 in which Sapiyat Magomedova was attacked and severely beaten by police officers at Khasavyurt police station as she attempted to meet a client, resulting in her hospitalisation. Sapiyat Magomedova is a lawyer at Omarov and Partners, a law firm known for its strident defence of human rights. Omarov and Partners frequently takes on cases relating to abductions, torture and extrajudicial executions in Dagestan.

On 1 July 2010, an investigation was opened against the police officers suspected of carrying out the attack under subpoint (a), part 3 of Article 286 (abuse of power) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. However, on 2 July 2010, a criminal case against Sapiyat Magomedova herself was initiated under Article 319 (assault and battery of authority representative) of the Criminal Code.

Оn 7 October 2011, Judge Aliev of Khasavyurt City Court ordered the file for the case against human rights defender to be returned to the Prosecutor's office. Sapiyat Magomedova, who is accused of insulting and inflicting bodily harm upon Batirbi Magdiev and Nariman Mollaev in the course of their police duties on 17 June 2010, argued that she cannot be considered both victim and assailant for the same incident.

On 22 September 2011, the presiding judge in Khasavyurt City Court returned the case against police officers Batirbi Magdiev and Nariman Mollaev to the prosecutor. Of the five policemen who assaulted the lawyer on 17 June 2010, she successfully identified four, but the investigative committee halted the investigation against two of them. The aforenamed policemen are accused of abuse of power in relation to the attack on human rights defender Sapiyat Magomedova in Khasavyurt police station which led to her hospitalisation. Both trials are postponed until further notice.

Front Line believes that the prolongation of both trials will adversely affect Sapiyat Magomedova's ability to carry out her legitimate human rights work. As a result of the criminal charges, the Bar Association of Dagestan has been put under increasing pressure to revoke Sapiyat Magomedova's licence to practice as a lawyer. Furthermore, the travel ban on Sapiyat Magomedova remains in place.

Front Line reiterates its call on the Russian authorities to immediately drop all charges against human rights defender Sapiyat Magomedova and to lift restrictions imposed on her freedom of movement.

For further information on this case, please consult the original Front Line appeal, dated 5 August 2011.