Zarifa Mukharbekovna Sautieva (russian: Зарифа Мухарбековна Саутиева; born 1 May 1978) is a museum director and political activist from Ingushetia. She was dismissed by the Russian government because of her protests about changes to the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia and then imprisoned.

Biography

Sautieva was born on 1 May 1978. During her childhood she loved to read. Her family includes two sisters and one brother. She has a university degree and lived in Sunzha in the Republic of Ingushetia. She is a member of the Ingush Committee of the National Unity. Until November 2018 she was deputy director of th
Memorial of Memory and Glory
in Nazran, Ingushetia. She was particularly gifted in her museum work at community engagement. She was dismissed by the Russian government from her post as a response to her involvement in protests against changes to the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia.

Activism

Sautieva was arrested on 27 March 2019 in

Magas Magas (russian: Мага́с) is the capital town of the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It was founded in 1995 and replaced Nazran as the capital of the republic in 2002. Due to this distinction, Magas is the smallest capital of a federal subje ...

by police, after clashes with protesters. It is alleged that the protesters threw sticks, chairs and fences at police, after attempts were made to disperse the protest. Whilst Sautieva used social media to record protests, the recordings from March 2019 show her calling other protesters to order. Sautieva was one of 33 people detained as a response to their role in the protests against the border. She is the only woman to be detained. She has been held in custody since 12 July 2019. She has been detained at a centre in Nalchik in

Kabardino-Balkaria The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (russian: Кабарди́но-Балка́рская Респу́блика, ''Kabardino-Balkarskaya Respublika''; kbd, Къэбэрдей-Балъкъэр Республикэ, ''Ķêbêrdej-Baĺķêr Respublik� ...

. She has claimed that whilst in detention, she and other protesters, are victims of psychological torture and physical violence. When asked to give a sample of handwriting during detention, she wrote out a poem by

Osip Mandelstam Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet. He was one of the foremost members of the A ...

. On 15/16 January 2020, Sautieva and other protesters were charged with participation in an extremist community. On 26 January a complaint was filed by lawyers from the Human Rights Centre in Ingushetia to the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...

about the conviction. On 27 March an open letter, signed by over 170 people, called for her release. This campaign was begun by fellow activist

Leyla Gazdiyeva Leila ( fa, لیلا, ar, ليلى, he, לילה) is a feminine given name primarily in the Semitic (Arabic, Hebrew) and Iranian languages. In Latin alphabet the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Laela, Laelah, Laila, La ...

. As of March 2020, her trial was due to take place in private, and her family were barred from visiting her. The Council of Europe views her, and her fellow activists, as political prisoners held by the state.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sautieva, Zarifa Living people 1978 births Russian curators Russian women curators Ingush people Russian activists Russian women activists