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).
40-year-old native of Chechnya, refugee Ali Batayev, who faces torture and death in Russia, was refused international protection in Switzerland. The authorities of this country consider Chechnya a region where human rights are not violated.
As noted by the head of the human rights organization “European Peace House” Zainap Gashaeva, the deportation was suspended until December, and the decision noted that Chechnya is a “safe and stable republic.”
In 2022, Ali Bataev left Ukraine, where he lived and received a residence permit, to Switzerland. In September 2022, he was placed in a deportation center, and since then he has been facing extradition to Russia. Batayev went on a hunger strike in protest. If he is deported to the Russian Federation, he will face torture and death for criticizing the Chechen authorities.