INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
years ago, the exiled news outlet Mediazona reported Monday.Seda Suleimanova, 28, fled Chechnya in October 2022 after relatives allegedly
threatened to kill her for refusing an arranged marriage
In August 2023, she was abducted from her apartment in St
Petersburg by Russian police officers and unidentified Chechen men and forcibly returned to her family.Suleimanova has not been heard of
Federal investigators launched a criminal inquiry into her disappearance in April 2024 and later handed the case over to law enforcement
allegedly bringing shame to the family
The practice is known to occur in the Muslim-majority North Caucasus, particularly in Chechnya, though the exact number of victims is
unknown due to the secrecy surrounding such cases.According to the human rights group SK SOS, which had helped Suleimanova flee Chechnya in
2022, her relatives told investigators that she fled their home again in February 2024
However, the group said those same relatives did not file a missing persons report after that alleged disappearance.SK SOS has launched a
petition calling for federal authorities to take over the investigation from Chechen law enforcement.
