Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
A court in Bishkek found a native of Chechnya, Mansur Movlaev, guilty of illegally crossing the border and decided to expel him from Kyrgyzstan. The man has repeatedly stated that he faces torture and death in the Russian Federation.
As lawyer Bakyt Avtandil noted, he and his client requested a maximum sentence of two years, but the court appointed six months. For now, Movlaev remains on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, since the appeal ruling will be challenged in cassation.
27-year-old Mansur Movlaev flew to Kyrgyzstan in August and was detained by employees of the country's State Committee for National Security. Previously, he was put on the federal wanted list in Russia.
In 2020, Mansur Movlaev was sentenced to three years on charges of financing extremism. Human rights activists claim that he was persecuted for criticizing the Chechen authorities and speaking out against human rights violations and repression. In 2022, the man was released on parole, but he was detained by security forces in Chechnya. Movlaev escaped and managed to reach Kyrgyzstan illegally.