Sapiyat Magomedova has experienced harassment, intimidation and threats due to her activism, and in recognition of her work was awarded the Homo Homini in 2013.
12 Facts About Sapiyat Magomedova
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Sapiyat Magomedova grew up in Khasavyurt, a city close to the border with Chechnya, and reported regularly seeing violence against civilians perpetrated by security forces.
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On 17 June 2010, Sapiyat Magomedova was physically assaulted by four police officers inside a police station in Khasavyurt, where she was representing a client who had been violently detained earlier that day.
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Sapiyat Magomedova reported falling unconscious as a result of the assault and requiring medical treatment in Makhachkala, where a forensic medical expert declined to examine her.
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Sapiyat Magomedova was critical of the police's investigation of the assault, citing that no arrests had been made despite her publicly naming the officers involved.
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One named officer subsequently filed a criminal case against Sapiyat Magomedova, claiming she had publicly insulted him, as well as alleging that she had assaulted the officers.
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In October 2010, Sapiyat Magomedova filed a counter case questioning the legality of the restriction order, which was lifted.
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Sapiyat Magomedova subsequently launched an appeal against the prosecutor's decision not to charge the officers.
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The International Federation of Human Rights, while agreeing with the charges against Sapiyat Magomedova being dropped, urged the Russian and Dagestani governments to charge reverse the decision not to charge the police officers with assault.
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Sapiyat Magomedova reported that security forces hit her when she left the vehicle and deleted footage of the incident from her phone.
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In 2012, Sapiyat Magomedova was awarded the Per Anger Prize for human rights defenders for "her brave and risky work as a lawyer and fearless human rights defender in a violent and hostile environment".
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In 2013, Sapiyat Magomedova was awarded the Homo Homini Prize for "her courage in the defence of victims of human rights violations".