Gyunduz Mamedov
Gyunduz Aidynovych Mamedov (born 26 October 1974) is an Azerbaijani-born Ukrainian lawyer and human rights activist who has served as Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea since 22 August 2016, and also served as Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine from 18 October 2019 to 21 July 2021. In his position as Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, he is the counterpart to the office of Prosecutor General of the Republic of Crimea, the equivalent position in Russia's Republic of Crimea. Due to the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Mamedov has no ability  to exert power over Crimea. Mamedov has also investigated Russian forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War for war crimes. Early life and career. Gündüz Aydın oğlu Məmmədov was born on 26 October 1974 in the city of Ganja, in what was then the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. In 1996, he graduated from Odessa University, with a degree in law. In 2013, he graduated from the Odessa National University of Economics. Mamedov's career began in 1996. He worked as the Assistant Prosecutor in the Prosecutor's Office of the Prymorsky Raion of Odessa, later becoming the  First Deputy Prosecutor of the Raion. From 2012 until 2013, he worked in the Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv Oblast. During 2013, he served as the Chief Scientific Officer of the Crime-Fighting Problems Research Department in the Scientific and Research Institute of the National Prosecution Academy of Ukraine. From December 2013 to July 2014, he also held the position of the Head of the Investigation Department of the Dnieper Environmental Prosecutor's Office. In July 2014, Mamedov was again appointed a Prosecutor in Odessa. From December 2015, Mamedov worked as the Deputy Prosecutor of Odessa Oblast. While working in  Odessa, he was engaged in high-profile affairs; in particular, he actively fought against the distribution of narcotic substances in law enforcement agencies, to expose corruption schemes and gambling, and arrested a criminal group that carried out robberies, extortion and other actions for two years. Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. On 22 August 2016, Mamedov was appointed the Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. As Prosecutor, he worked to assemble evidence of Russian war crimes in Crimea, with the intention of bringing them to the International Criminal Court. He has called for people involved with the Annexation  of Crimea by the Russian Federation, specifically Natalia Poklonskaya, to be extradited to Ukraine. Mamedov has alleged that Russian authorities have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. He has accused Russian authorities of stealing more than 4,000 objects, totalling 60.2 billion Ukrainian hryvnias (approximately 2 trillion United States dollars in 2022). During the work as a prosecutor, the directions of Crimean law enforcement activity in mainland Ukraine were determined, work with the International Criminal Court was organised, cooperation with non-governmental organisations were established, and investigation of criminal proceedings against national security and war crimes during the Russo-Ukrainian  War were developed. These moves were reflected in the Strategy for the Development of Activities of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the conditions of temporary occupation for 2019–2021. Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine. On 18 October 2019, Mamedov was selected by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine. Mamedov's work continued to focus on the persecution of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, including the War in Donbas and the 2014 shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Mamedov advocated for Ukraine to ratify the Rome Statute, as well as recognising war crimes  under Ukrainian legislation. In an interview with Ukrinform, he also expressed his support for Zelenskyy's reforms of the Office of Prosecutor General of Ukraine, calling it a "request of society". On 9 April 2021, Mamedov announced that he had sent 19 pieces of evidence of Russian war crimes to the International Criminal Court. In regards to Ukrainian domestic issues, Mamedov was also active; under him, a division of the Prosecutor General's office for protecting children of victims and witnesses started for the first time in Ukrainian history. However, on 26 July 2021, Mamedov resigned from his office as  Deputy Prosecutor General, citing "deliberately-created difficult working conditions" by the office of Prosecutor General. Myller, the law firm representing Mamedov, also claimed the involvement of the Security Service of Ukraine against him. After leaving office, Mamedov's investigation of Russian war crimes has continued. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he announced he was sending information to the Hague regarding war crimes, and provided contacts by which people can send information.