Zarema Bagavutdinova

Zarema Bagavutdinova (born 1968) was a member of a Dagestan regional human rights group, "Pravozashchita" or "Human Rights Defense." She was imprisoned in July 2013 on charges of recruiting on behalf of an armed Islamic insurgency in the region of Dagestan. She was sentenced to five years of incarceration.

Bagavutdinova has been named a political prisoner by several NGOs, citing contradictory facts presented as evidence and lack of material evidence. Human rights groups note that Bagavutdinova had made several critical remarks about Russian security services prior to her arrest. The group had been placed under surveillance and some members of the group had been searched.

Several human rights groups have stated concerns with the way this trial was conducted. The court found its verdict on the testimony of five secret witnesses, two of which were prisoners found with weapons in their homes. The court claimed that Bagavutdinova cultivated a friendship and promised to marry Dalgatov if he joined the insurgency. Dalgatov was killed in an anti-terrorist action in 2013.

International response The Institute of Modern Russia and Memorial, a human rights group which Russia has called a "foreign agent," have called Bagavutdinova a political prisoner. The group Human Rights Watch has called Bagavutdinova's trial "politically motivated and unfair."

Human rights groups say that the secret witnesses gave contradictory descriptions of the person alleged to be Bagavutdinova. This included different heights and ages. Witnesses report that Bagavutdinova had previously been harassed by local authorities for her work on human rights campaigns in the area. They also argue that holding the entire trial behind closed doors is a violation of her human rights. The Moscow Helsinki Group, the oldest human rights organization in Russia, argue that while there are no laws against political crimes, there have been cases of politically motivated charges.