Publicity influences prosecutor’s office’s interest in Seda Suleimanova’s story

Mass people’s appeals have influenced the decision of the Saint Petersburg prosecutor’s office to study the story of Seda Suleimanova, who was returned by the police to her relatives in Chechnya, and that gives hope for an investigation into the incident, points out Alexandra Miroshnikova. It is unlikely that an actual prosecutors’ investigation will follow even numerous people’s appeals, objects Svetlana Gannushkina*.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on November 6, the “SK SOS Crisis Group”* reported that an appeal filed by Stanislav Kudryavtsev, a fiancé of Seda Suleimanova, was transferred to the prosecutor’s office. On November 2, Stanislav Kudryavtsev reported how law enforcers took Seda Suleimanova to Chechnya and forbade her to meet him.

The mass appeals to the prosecutor’s office with requests to check the actions of the law enforcers in Seda Suleimanova’s case influenced the consideration of the appeal filed by Stanislav Kudryavtsev, suggests Alexandra Miroshnikova, the press secretary for the “SK SOS Crisis Group”*. According to her, the human rights defenders still have no way to contact Seda Suleimanova.

The fact that Seda Suleimanova’s story has become public and the prosecutor’s office has to respond to that is not encouraging in terms of the investigation, believes Svetlana Gannushkina*, the chair of the “Civic Assistance Committee”*. The human rights defender has noted that in accordance with the law, the prosecutor’s office is to institute a case on kidnapping.

The human rights defender says that several years ago she and her colleagues succeeded in helping a woman who found herself in a similar situation.

After the fiancé of Seda Suleimanova gives testimony, the prosecutor’s office will be able to institute the process of criminal prosecution, lawyer Galina Tarasova emphasizes.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.