In Saint Petersburg, law enforcers detain girlfriend of missing Chechen Seda Suleimanova

Policemen have detained Lena Patyaeva, who at a picket held at the Saint Petersburg Prosecutor's Office (PO) demanded to disclose information about Seda Suleimanova, who had been taken by her relatives to Chechnya. The picketer called on townspeople to come out in Suleimanova defence.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 1, Lena Patyaeva went out to a solo picket at the above PO. Nothing has been known about Suleimanova's fate for 150 days, she has stated.

Prior to her picket, Lena Patyaeva walked through the streets in the city centre, distributing leaflets with information about Seda Suleimanova's disappearance, the "Sota" outlet has reported in its Telegram channel.

"My girlfriend is in mortal danger; perhaps she is even already killed, but no one cares," the outlet quotes Lena Patyaeva as saying.

Seda Suleimanova is a Russian citizen and has the right to live in Saint Petersburg, where she dreamed of living since childhood, Lena has emphasized. "But her rights were rudely taken away from her. According to human rights defenders, Seda was most likely killed by her male relatives in order to 'wash away the stain of shame' – just because she lived in Saint Petersburg," Lena has stated.

Let us recall that on February 7, the SK SOS Crisis Group* reported that two sources in Chechnya voiced out a version of Seda Suleimanova's murder by her relatives. After a check, the PO stated that Suleimanova had voluntarily left for Chechnya from Saint Petersburg.

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