The laureates

Description

Tamilla Imanova is a Russian human rights lawyer who has appeared before Russian, European, and international courts. For the past four years, she has been working for Memorial, an NGO that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. In 2022, Tamilla successfully defended the case of women who were victims of domestic violence before the European Court of Human Rights, and she has also handled various cases of state-sanctioned torture of civilians, and illegal arrests for participating in peaceful protests. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, she has fled Russia for fear of criminal prosecution and now lives in Poland.

Tamilla Imanova interview - 03/23/23

Can you please introduce yourself?

My name is Tamilla Imanova, and I am a Russian attorney specializing in human rights, particularly civil and political rights, women’s rights, and, more generally, the rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.

What do you expect from the Marianne Initiative in terms of strengthening your project?

Since 2022, Russia has completely abandoned international law and European institutions; therefore, as a recipient of the Marianne Initiative award, I am working to develop my skills in the field of international advocacy. My other goal is to amplify the voices of the anti-war and anti-Putin segments of Russian society and to ensure that the international and European communities are better informed about the repercussions facing Russian society.The measures that have been taken are understandable, but most of them target free-thinking dissidents and make their lives impossible.

Can you tell us more about your NGO ?

Memorial has existed since the 1980s; it was founded a few years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The initial idea was to conduct research on crimes committed during the Stalin era. In the 1990s, a separate NGO was established: the Memorial Human Rights Center. This NGO is affiliated with the original organization but focuses on crimes committed in modern-day Russia by conducting research and advocating before international courts, particularly regarding crimes related to the wars in Chechnya and the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008. Memorial has also been active in Ukraine since 2014. In 2021, the Russian government shut down both NGOs and forced us to leave the country. The Memorial NGO network was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

Which activities have been most helpful to you since the program began?

I really enjoyed visiting inspiring places like the Women’s Center and the Journalists’ Center, because it allowed me to learn about certain processes—in particular, how to help a victim of violence or a victim of government repression, for example. I also had the chance to meet some inspiring people. The encounter that made the biggest impression on me was the one with Parwana Paikan. She works here in France for the Afghan Embassy. We talked with her for hours, and we’d really love to see her again. I really appreciate these encounters because they allow me to learn more about their struggles on the other side of the world—which touch on different issues—and to see how their experiences differ from my own.

What future activities do you think will be most beneficial to you?

I was put in touch with the Paris Bar Association, and I was told that I would also be put in touch with the Council of Europe, and I am very happy to collaborate with them in the future. I recently spoke at the opening of an exhibition on mass arrests in Russia and political prisoners. It was a major collaboration between the Russian feminist anti-war resistance movement, Memorial, and the Paris City Hall. I also work with Russie-Libertés, an NGO that fights to promote anti-Putin ideas in Russia. Together with Groupe SOS, we are currently identifying key figures and politicians who might benefit from one-on-one meetings with me—and vice versa. I would also like to connect with civil society and exchange best practices.

Would you like to add anything else ?

This experience has been very enriching, and every month the activities get more and more interesting. There was that trip to Strasbourg—it was such a rewarding experience! And there’s also the trip to Geneva coming up—I’m amazed week after week!