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 picket marked the third anniversary of Suleymanova's disappearance. Patyaeva had previously staged a protest with the same demand at the same monument in March 2025; she was detained on that occasion as well.

Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Presidential Human Rights Council, reported that a court had sentenced Patyaeva to ten days of administrative detention for a repeat violation of public assembly regulations. Later, "Slovo Zashchite" reported that Patyaeva had been released from police custody. Following this, Merkacheva removed the information regarding the arrest from her post.

Seda Suleymanova, a native of Chechnya, left the republic in the autumn of 2022; according to those who helped her leave, she did so to avoid a forced marriage. Human rights activists stated that she feared her family and had asked for help in leaving Chechnya.

In St. Petersburg, Seda initially stayed in a safe house before beginning an independent life. Her relatives located her in February 2023. According to the group "SK SOS," one of them visited her workplace and attempted to find out where she lived. Seda managed to escape and subsequently changed her job, residence, and phone number.

On August 23, 2023, Seda was detained at an apartment in St. Petersburg and taken to Chechnya. According to SK SOS, the formal pretext for the action was a statement made by Suleymanova’s mother, accusing the young woman of stealing jewelry worth approximately 150,000 rubles. Seda denied the allegations; human rights defenders pointed out that she had been in St. Petersburg at the time of the alleged theft. Following questioning, Suleymanova was taken to Chechnya and handed over to her relatives. Shortly thereafter, Chechen ombudsman Mansur Soltaev released a photograph and a video of Seda. These were the last public indications that she was alive; no reliable information about her has surfaced since September 2023.

Even then, human rights defenders feared that Seda’s return to her family could result in a so-called "honor killing"—a violent act committed by family members against a woman for behavior deemed to bring shame upon the family. In February 2024, SK SOS representatives managed to contact the young woman's relatives. One relative stated that she was nearby but refused to let her speak on the phone or provide a photograph or video. Later, the family claimed that Seda had allegedly left home on February 5 and never returned. However, according to SK SOS, the relatives themselves never filed a police report regarding her disappearance.

In April 2024, the Chechen Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into Suleymanova’s murder. Human rights defenders maintain, however, that no actual investigation is taking place.