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 July 24, it is planned to hold rallies in front of the Swiss embassies in Sweden and Germany. The organizers demand the abolition of the illegal deportation to the Russian Federation of a refugee and critic of the Chechen authorities Ali Bataev. He is being held in Switzerland and faces torture and death if expelled.
The day before, rallies were held in Switzerland, Austria and Germany against the extradition of Ali Bataev. The participants noted that Russia was recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism, and the government of Ichkeria considers the territory of Chechnya temporarily occupied.
Ali Bataev had a residence permit in Ukraine. After the outbreak of the war, he left for Europe as a refugee and ended up in Switzerland. He arrived there in September 2022 and has since been imprisoned as an illegal refugee, where he has been on a hunger strike. If extradited to Russia, Bataev will face death, as he is a critic of the political regime in Chechnya.