Marem (organisation)

Marem is a women's rights organisation operating primarily in the North Caucasus region of Russia, focusing on Dagestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia. Founded in June 2020, it provides legal, psychological, and logistical assistance to women fleeing domestic violence, gender-based violence, forced marriages, and other forms of familial abuse.

History

Marem was co-founded in June 2020 by journalist and activist Svetlana Anokhina, Dagestani blogger Maryam Aliyeva, and other women activists.[1][2] The group is named after Marem Alieva, a woman from Ingushetia. In 1994, when she was 16 years old, she was kidnapped for marriage by Mukharbek Evloev, a 36-year-old man. Evloev abused her physically and psychologically; she escaped multiple times, but was pressured to return. In July 2015, she fled with her children, but disappeared on 19 September 2015, believed to have been murdered, though no body was found and no criminal case opened. Her case was examined by the European Court of Human Rights in 2019.[2][1][3]

Anokhina is the head of the organisation and is also the editor-in-chief of Daptar, an online media outlet focused on women's rights in the North Caucasus.[1][4]

The group was established to address the lack of support for victims of domestic violence in the region, exacerbated by the 2017 decriminalisation of most forms of domestic violence in Russia in the first instance, and cultural norms in Muslim-majority republics that often isolate victims and limit intervention by authorities.[1]

In 2020–2021, Anokhina faced death threats and fled Dagestan, eventually leaving Russia entirely in 2021 after a police raid on a Marem-operated shelter in Makhachkala.[5][6] Despite this, she continued to lead Marem remotely. Marem continues its work through digital channels like Telegram and WhatsApp.[2] Funding relies on donations and personal contributions.[1]

In January 2026, a court in Makhachkala sentenced Anokhina in absentia to five years in prison for allegedly spreading "fake news" about the Russian armed forces via social media posts in 2022 related to the invasion of Ukraine.[5][7]

Activities

Marem assists women facing domestic violence, death threats, forced returns to abusive families, conversion practices, and related issues. Services include legal aid, psychological support, evacuation coordination, temporary safe accommodation, transportation assistance, and help with asylum or relocation paperwork. Marem collaborates with organisations like NC SOS.[2][1][8]

The organisation operates with a small team of about a dozen women volunteers, including responders, lawyers, and psychologists. It receives dozens of daily inquiries and has helped evacuate and support hundreds of women since 2020, including over 50 evacuations reported by 2022.[1][7]

Marem raises awareness through animated films, such as the "Symbol of Freedom" series and "Don’t Be Afraid, I'm With You", depicting supportive scenarios and symbols of autonomy for women fleeing abuse. It also supports LGBTQ+ individuals facing persecution in the region.[2][9]

Marem has highlighted tactics used by authorities and families to prevent women from escaping, such as falsely accusing them of theft to justify detention and forced returns.[6][10]

Notable cases

In June 2021, 22-year-old Chechen woman Khalimat Taramova fled domestic abuse and conversion therapy in Chechnya and sought refuge at Marem's shelter in Makhachkala, Dagestan. On 10 June, Dagestani and Chechen police raided the shelter, detained activists and forcibly returned Taramova to Chechnya, where she later appeared on state television claiming she was safe; activists alleged the statement was coerced.[11][12][13] The activists were released the next day after charges were dropped.[5] In 2024, a court awarded 15,000 rubles each to Svetlana Anokhina, Maysarat Kilyaskhanova, and Ekaterina Neroznikova for injuries sustained during the raid, but the court of cassation in Pyatigorsk overturned the decision in 2025.[14]

In June 2023, Selima Ismailova was detained at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, on what supporters described as fabricated theft charges. She was detained while trying to leave Chechnya, and Marem supported her defence.[10] In May 2024, Liya Zaurbekova fled alleged abuse in Chechnya; Marem co-ordinated her escape amid efforts by relatives and officials, including Adam Delimkhanov, to locate her.[15] In August 2024, Dagestani teenager Aishat Magomedova was abducted from her Moscow apartment by relatives and forcibly returned to Dagestan after fleeing family violence; Marem criticised police inaction, citing deference to cultural customs.[16]

In 2022, Chechen woman Seda Suleymanova fled to Saint Petersburg; in August 2023 she disappeared from a police station following a theft complaint filed by relatives. Although she later appeared in a video claiming she was safe, friends reported inconsistencies, and her whereabouts remain unknown.[6] In July 2025, Laura Avtorkhanova was briefly detained in Tbilisi, Georgia, after relatives reported her missing, and Marem assisted her following her release.[17][18] The organisation also described the 2025 killing of Aishat Baimuradova in Armenia, a distant relative of Ramzan Kadyrov, after she fled abuse as part of a broader pattern of deaths and disappearances among women who attempt to leave.[19]

In January 2026, Marem coordinator Katerina Neroznikova highlighted discrimination against divorced mothers in Ingushetia, including denial of access to children, as part of a broader campaign for mothers' rights.[20]

Challenges and threats

Marem activists face death threats, harassment, police raids, and regional opposition viewing the group as interfering in family affairs. The 2021 shelter raid forced its closure and relocation of operations. Anokhina's 2026 conviction added to pressures, with activists reporting burnout.[5][1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Anna Efimova (3 February 2021). "The shame of Dagestan". New Eastern Europe. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Marem – We help women in the North Caucasus who are victims of domestic violence". Human Rights Group “Marem”. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  3. ^ Krasnov, Oleg (27 September 2019). "Advocate points to no progress in Marem Alieva's murder case". Caucasian Knot. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Daghestani activist sentenced in absentia for sharing 'fake' information about Russian army". OC Media. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d "Five Year Sentence for Speaking Out Against War on Ukraine". Human Rights Watch. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Onufrieva, Zlata; Kasapoglu, Cagil (18 December 2024). "'Don't look for me': Fleeing Chechnya in search of freedom". BBC News Russian. Retrieved 15 February 2026 – via Substack.
  7. ^ a b "Svetlana Anokhina was sentenced in absentia to five years". Caucasian Knot. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Joint submission on Russia and protection against violence and discrimination based on SOGI in relation to forced displacement" (PDF). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. United Nations. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  9. ^ @McCainInstitute (June 22, 2023). "In Chechnya, where any deviance from the "traditional norms" will be persecuted, our human rights defender is a founding member of the women's rights group Marem, supporting victims of domestic violence and LGBTGIA+ [sic] persecution in the North Caucasus" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 February 2026 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ a b Luiza Mchedlishvili (13 June 2023). "Chechen woman 'fleeing domestic abuse' detained at Moscow airport". OC Media. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Russia: Attack and detention of Women Human Rights Defenders during raid on women's shelter (joint communication)". UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2026 – via SR Defenders.
  12. ^ "Person of the Week: Khalimat Taramova, forcibly taken by Chechen police from a women's shelter in Dagestan". Rights in Russia. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  13. ^ "'We begged not to be handed over to Chechnya': After promising protection, police in Dagestan raid a domestic violence shelter to drag a woman back to Chechnya". Meduza. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  14. ^ "Cassation Court cancels decision on compensation for activists of "Marem" shelter". Caucasian Knot. 26 April 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  15. ^ Milana Ochirova (18 June 2024). "Slipping the net. How a 19-year-old Chechen woman fled her controlling family and the Chechen authorities for a life of freedom". Novaya Gazeta Europe. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Woman from Dagestan abducted by family from Moscow apartment and forcibly returned home". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 3 August 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Laura Avtorkhanova left the police department in Tbilisi". Caucasian Knot. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Chechen Woman Who Fled Abusive Family Briefly Detained in Georgia, Activists Say". The Moscow Times. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Chechen woman found dead in Armenia had family ties to Kadyrov". Meduza. 9 December 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Human rights activists say discrimination against mothers in Ingushetia is a pressing issue". Caucasian Knot. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
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