Maria Mamedova

She lived in Stavropol and worked as an HR manager at the regional forensic expertise centre of the Ministry of Justice. After mobilisation was announced, she was asked to organise fundraising for the mobilised, and was threatened, after her refusal. She left Russia together with her husband. Two weeks after the couple left, law enforcement officers came to Mamedova's parents' house. After leaving Russia, the Mamedovs began to actively make anti-war publications on social networks. After that, Maria's pages in "VKontakte" and "Odnoklassniki" were blocked. In addition, the couple sent an anti-war letter to the work email addresses of all Russian laboratories and forensic centres, and sent several dozen complaints to government agencies demanding an end to the war. In response, government agencies threatened the activists with criminal proceedings. As a result, a case of spreading "fakes" about the army was brought against both activists. They were put on a wanted list. On 17 October 2023, the court ruled on the arrest in absentia. Later it became known that a case of assisting in terrorism was also brought against Mamedova. On 26 June 2024, she was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in this case. On 5 July 2024, Mamedova was sentenced to eight years in absentia in the "fakes" case.