On 4 February 2015 a group of unidentified men assaulted Murad Magomedov, a lawyer working with Memorial Human Rights Centre in Dagestan, causing severe injuries. Murad Magoemdov was hospitalized with a broken jaw, several broken front teeth, and serious head trauma. Murad Magomedov was attacked in broad daylight outside the courthouse during a break in hearings in which he is representing one of the defendants charged for the 2012 murder of a prominent Sufi leader, Said Afandi al-Chirkavi (Atsaev). Memorial has already appealed to Human Rights Ombudsman Ella Pamfilova and chair of the Presidential Human Rights Council Mikhail Fedotov over the attack.

Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch: “The violent attack on a defense lawyer right outside the courthouse strongly indicates that the assailants were confident they would get away with it. This is a terrible crime against a courageous defense lawyer, and a chilling signal to lawyers like him in Dagestan. When defense lawyers are the targets of retribution and violence, this severely weakens the rule of law and sends a message to defendants that they can’t get a fair trial. Russian authorities should ensure that everyone has equal protection under the law, and a good place to start is to make sure Magomedov’s assailants are brought to justice.”