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).
The MPs call on Azerbaijan to immediately open the Lachin Corridor. This is stated in a joint statement by the head of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the countries of the South Caucasus, Maria Kalyurand, Permanent Rapporteur for Armenia, Andrey Kovac, and Permanent Rapporteur for Azerbaijan, Zeljana Zovko.
European officials are concerned about Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor of Nagorny Karabakh, which could lead to negative consequences and be considered a violation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, as well as the decision of the International Court of Justice. The deputies recall that Azerbaijan’s blockade of the corridor is causing humanitarian difficulties for the Armenian population of Karabakh, and the establishment of checkpoints further aggravates the situation.