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).
Political prisoners Ruslan Suleymanov and Osman Arifmemetov, held in the Novocherkassk pre-trial detention center, do not receive purchases from the FSIN prison store made by their relatives. Lawyer Lilya Gemedzhi reported on the preparation of complaints to the prosecutor's office.
Earlier, Ruslan Suleymanov complained about the inaction of doctors and the conditions of detention in the pre-trial detention center. He repeatedly turned to doctors for help due to congenital heart disease and tachycardia.
Last year, Crimean Tatars Ruslan Suleymanov and Osman Arifmemetov were sentenced to 14 years on charges of participating in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in the Russian Federation. Since January 2015, when Crimea actually came under Russian control, criminal cases began to be initiated on the peninsula regarding participation in Hizb ut-Tahrir. In Ukraine and European countries, the party’s activities are not prohibited.