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).
In the Russian Federation, human rights have been massively violated for over two decades, censorship has been introduced, repressive laws have been introduced, and oppositionists and dissidents have been persecuted. The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia, Maryana Katsarova, spoke about this in a report for the UN Human Rights Committee.
Separately, the report highlights the problem of the North Caucasus, primarily Chechnya. In the regions of the North Caucasian Federal District, torture and extrajudicial executions, abductions, and massive violations of women's rights are common.
“The current impunity of security forces in Chechnya for crimes against citizens committed since the two Chechen wars should serve as a warning to all of Russia in the context of the Russian authorities’ attack on human rights, which has intensified in connection with the war in Ukraine,” the report summarizes.