HRW demands to punish those who beat lawyer in Dagestan

The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has stated that Russian authorities should investigate the beating by militiamen in Dagestan of lawyer-rights defender Sapiyat Magomedova and bring those guilty to responsibility.

Let us remind you that on June 17 in the afternoon employees of the GOVD of the city of Khasavyurt, Republic of Dagestan severely beat Sapiyat Magomedova: she received brain concussion and numerous bruises. As of June 19, according to Sapiyat's relatives, she was in consciousness, but could not move by her own, practically spoke nothing and could not normally eat.

"The Kremlin promised to ensure safe working conditions for human rights activists in Northern Caucasus, but instead we have another fact of shocking encroachment. If Russian leadership is serious in its commitments, those guilty persons shall be made responsible," believes Tatiana Lokshina, deputy director of the HRW's Moscow office.

"The most shocking fact is that Magomedova was beaten right in the GOVD (City Interior Division). Those militiamen had even no idea of responsibility. It looks that they were worried only of forcing the lawyer to refuse from her client," Ms Lokshina made her comments on the incident.