Prosecutors in the Russian city of St. Petersburg have launched a probe into the suspected abduction of a woman from the North Caucasus region of Chechnya, the North Caucasus SOS (SK SOS) human rights group said on November 6.
According to the rights watchdog, Seda Suleimanova's boyfriend, Sergei Kudryavtsev, was summoned by investigators in St. Petersburg on November 2, where he gave information regarding his girlfriend's situation.
The probe was launched after Kudryavtsev turned to Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova asking for her help. Moskalkova then asked the Prosecutor-General's Office to get involved in the case, after which the investigation was started.
In August, Kudryavtsev told SK SOS that four men, two of whom introduced themselves as police officers and two others were from Chechnya, visited his apartment in St. Petersburg where he stayed with Suleimanova and took them to a police station, where Suleimanova was informed that she is suspected of stealing jewelry, a charge she rejected.
Kudryavtsev said police officers took Suleimanova to the airport to take her to Chechnya, where she may face an "honor killing."
Chechen officials later confirmed that Suleimanova is in Chechnya, adding that she is "safe," while rights defenders are concerned over her situation.
In October last year, Suleimanova turned to the SK SOS for help leaving Chechnya, saying that her relatives may kill her for being "insufficiently religious."
Human right defenders say relatives in the North Caucasus often file complaints accusing women of crimes, usually theft, to legalize their detention and return to their relatives. Once back, the women face violent abuse.
Domestic violence has been a problem in Russia's North Caucasus region for decades. Victims who manage to flee often say that they may face "punishment," including "honor killings," if they are forced to return.
Usually, local authorities take the side of the accused abusers.