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).
A native of Chechnya, Ali Bataev, who left Ukraine after the start of the war, has been on a hunger strike for more than 40 days in a deportation center in Switzerland. He demands not to extradite him to Russia, where he is threatened with torture and death.
“Due to the hunger strike, Bataev’s health problems have worsened. There is bleeding from the gums, it is difficult for him to swallow water, there are pains in the abdomen and problems with the intestines. He can hardly walk and asks for hospitalization,” said Zainap Gashayeva and Lachin Mamishov, human rights activists of the European House of Peace organization. Earlier, mass actions were held in different European countries asking not to deport Ali Bataev, who is a critic of the Chechen authorities.
The man 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 since then, as an illegal refugee, he has been imprisoned, where he has been on a hunger strike.