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 United States Department of State records the facts of killings, torture and other inhuman phenomena in Azerbaijan, as well as the harsh conditions in the country’s prisons. It’s in the State Department’s annual human rights report.
The report on Azerbaijan cited arbitrary detentions and arrests, the existence of political prisoners and repression, and the absence of an independent judiciary. Interference with privacy, severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the media and other human rights violations are also recorded.
The US also noted violence against journalists, systemic corruption in the government and lack of accountability for gender-based violence in Azerbaijan. The Government did not prosecute or punish most officials who committed human rights violations and acts of corruption. Impunity remained a problem,» says the report.