Liya Zaurbekova, domestic violence victim from Chechnya, has left Russia
Liya Zaurbekova from Chechnya has left Russia. Alexander Ionov, a member of the Human Rights Council and the Public Monitoring Commission, confirmed this information, labeling the incident in Moscow as a 'family conflict' and claiming there was no evidence of a violation of the young woman’s rights.
Activists from the 'Marem' organization confirmed Zaurbekova’s departure and stated that she is in a safe place.
On the evening of May 16, Liya Zaurbekova left her home, saw her father on the street, and called the police. According to her, she had fled from Chechnya to Moscow due to physical and psychological abuse. When Zaurbekova was taken to the police station, her relatives were already there. They surrounded the building and prevented her from leaving. State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov promised to return Zaurbekova to Chechnya.
"Any insinuations regarding this conflict should be considered an exaggeration and an attempt to distort public perception. There is not, nor was there, a threat to anyone’s life. This is an example of imposing public opinion based on the guesswork of bloggers and certain journalists," wrote Alexander Ionov.
A similar situation previously occurred with another Chechnya resident, Seda Suleymanova. In 2022, she fled her relatives due to domestic violence and threats of an 'honor killing.' In 2023, she was kidnapped by the police and taken back to Chechnya, and her whereabouts have been unknown ever since. Due to publicity and complaints from human rights defenders, the Investigative Committee initiated a murder case, but the investigation details are unavailable.