Friends of Chechen girl who fled domestic violence urge acceleration of investigation into her disappearance

Yelena Patyayeva asserts that investigators in Chechnya have not made any progress in three months. The petition’s author urged the punishment of all those involved in Seda Suleymanova’s abduction, including police officers.

"There are reasons to believe that the investigation is being deliberately sabotaged by officials who support the barbaric practice of 'honor killings'," reads the petition.

Seda’s fiancé, Stanislav Kudryavtsev, was interrogated in early June, two months after the case was initiated. This happened after human rights defenders pointed out that the key witness in the case had not yet been questioned.

In 2022, Seda Suleymanova escaped from her family in Chechnya due to threats of ‘honor killing’ and domestic violence and moved to Saint Petersburg. In 2023, she was abducted by police officers and taken back to the republic, and she has not been in touch since.

In February 2024, sources of the North Caucasus SOS (NC SOS) group reported that Seda might have been murdered by her relatives. Her family members claim that she escaped once again. In April, the Investigative Committee initiated a case for murder.

Original