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).
Kuban Left Resistance activist Daria Polyudova, sentenced to nine years, reported being beaten by her cellmate in correctional colony No. 4 in Kabardino-Balkaria. According to the lawyer, the prisoner suffered for making critical statements about Russian President Putin.
Previously, Daria Polyudova was placed in a punishment cell. The Federal Penitentiary Service stated that the reason was that the activist was found with a blade and “some other violation.” Earlier, the woman went on a hunger strike in the colony. The cause was a thrown blade.
In 2022, Daria Polyudova was sentenced to 9 years in prison on charges of calling for extremism and creating an extremist community. The verdict also included a previous punishment - in 2021, the court found her guilty of publicly justifying terrorism due to a post about Chechen field commanders Shamil Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov. The activist was also found guilty of speaking positively about the actions of Yevgeny Manyurov, who in December 2019 opened fire near the FSB buildings on Lubyanka in Moscow.