Seda Suleymanova’s friend was detained during a protest outside the police station where the young woman was taken from and transported to Chechnya.

Lena Patyaeva staged a solo picket outside Police Station No. 54 in St Petersburg, reports SOTAvision. She stood for around 50 minutes holding a poster that read: You sent her to her death. Live with it. #WhereIsSedaSuleymanova.

After she was detained, Patyaeva was taken to another police station—No. 42. According to SOTAvision, she had previously been brought there after earlier protests.

According to information from the SK SOS Crisis Group, the authorities are planning to charge her with violating the regulations for public assemblies (Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

17:08 Lena Patyaeva will be held overnight in the police station until her court hearing tomorrow, reports ‘Word to the Defence.’

27 November The Krasnoselsky District Court in St Petersburg sentenced Lena Patyaeva to 10 days’ arrest. This was reported by the city’s united press service for the courts.

Patyaeva was officially charged with organising an unauthorised public gathering (Part 2, Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code).

• Seda Suleymanova was taken to Police Station No. 54 in the summer of 2023. She was detained on suspicion of stealing jewellery from relatives. The accusation was made by her mother. The next day, Suleymanova was taken to Chechnya. After meeting with the Chechen ombudsman on camera, she was not seen in public again. According to human rights defenders, she may have been killed by relatives in November 2023.
• Suleymanova left Chechnya in 2022 to escape a forced marriage and family control. She settled in St Petersburg, where she found a job and a place to live, as well as a partner and new friends.