Daghestani Lawyer Gets Swedish Humanitarian Prize

Sapiyat Magomedova in an undated photo

A prominent female lawyer from Russia's troubled Republic of Daghestan has received the Per Anger Prize in the Swedish city of Gothenborg.

Sapiyat Magomedova, 33, was awarded the prize on November 12 for her "brave work" as a lawyer and rights defender.

In June 2010, Magomedova was brutally beaten by local police in her native city of Khasavyurt.

She spent three months in the hospital after the beating.

The incident did not stop her from representing clients seeking justice in Daghestan, where authorities often abuse rights of local people when looking for Islamic terrorists.

The Per Anger Prize was instituted by the Swedish Government in 2004 to honor the memory of Ambassador Per Anger.

It is awarded for humanitarian work and initiatives in the name of democracy.

Based on reporting by sverigesradio.se and kavkaz-uzel.ru