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).
On November 29, a man discovered the body of a young man under a bridge on the eastern outskirts of the Chechen city of Kurchaloy. The deceased was a student of the Grozny State Petroleum Technical University Deni Aliev.
The police said that the guy died as a result of jumping from the bridge - he committed suicide. However, signs of torture were found on the body, the Memorial Human Rights Center reported.
A month later, no criminal case was opened into the death of the student. The suicide version raises doubts, human rights activists noted. The Memorial Center has at its disposal a photograph of the body taken at the site of its discovery. It shows signs of violence. There are visible marks on the neck from strangulation with a rope or twine, and abrasions on the wrists. Under the chin there are supposedly marks from extinguishing cigarettes. According to Memorial volunteers, Aliyev also had both legs broken.
“It seems that law enforcement agencies clearly do not want to investigate the brutal murder of Deni Aliyev,” human rights activists concluded.