Marina Yandieva

Marina Yandieva, from Ingushetia—a republic in the North Caucasus region of Russia—attempted to escape from her home twice. In 2011, she began studying at a university in Moscow, but in 2015, her relatives forcibly brought her back to Ingushetia. She made another attempt to flee to Moscow in 2016, but was tracked down, beaten, and returned home once again. After this, Marina endured several years of isolation, living under constant threat of “honor killing” from her relatives if she did not comply with their demands.

In 2023, with the help of NC SOS, Marina successfully escaped from her home. During part of her journey, she was accompanied by a lawyer from the Committee Against Torture, a Chechen man named Magomed Alamov. Following their escape, Marina’s relatives began issuing death threats against him and his family, demanding that he return her. Although the threats against Magomed eventually subsided, he felt compelled to leave his job for safety reasons, and Marina’s relatives never apologized for their intimidation.

After successfully evacuating Marina from Russia, NC SOS faced further challenges when her mother filed a complaint accusing her of theft, hoping to bring Marina back home through criminal charges.