Bashir Alibiev, a native of Chechnya suspected of killing his former wife, was found dead on 11 February in a detention centre in the southern French town of Grasse. The news was reported on Monday by the newspaper Nice-Matin, citing Éric Camous, a representative of the Grasse prosecutor’s office. An autopsy found no signs of foul play, and the preliminary cause of death has been identified as suicide.
The 47-year-old Alibiev had been held in custody on charges of murdering his 39-year-old former spouse, Larisa Arsanukaeva, also a native of Chechnya. The killing took place on 4 November last year in Nice.
According to investigators, Alibiev attacked Arsanukaeva with a knife near her home as she was returning there. The couple’s eldest daughter attempted to intervene, after which he stabbed her as well. Arsanukaeva died at the scene, while her daughter was taken to hospital.
Nate Ostiller
Alibiev was arrested shortly after the attack and placed in pre-trial detention. He was charged with intentional homicide and attempted homicide. Court proceedings on the merits of the case had not yet begun.
French media had previously reported that Alibiev had earlier faced charges in a domestic violence case. In 2024, a French court acquitted him. Following his divorce from Arsanukaeva, he was granted custody of five of their seven children. Local rights advocates wrote at the time that the mother’s ability to communicate with the children had been restricted.
According to relatives of the deceased, shortly before his suicide Alibiev had a face-to-face confrontation with his daughter. In earlier testimony, he had attempted to shift the blame onto her, claiming that she had attacked her mother and that he had tried to protect her.
On 8 November, a rally in memory of Arsanukaeva was held at Place Masséna in Nice. Participants called for greater attention to the issue of domestic violence and for more effective protection of women in vulnerable situations.
Arsanukaeva’s body was repatriated to Chechnya two months after her death. The delay was attributed to legal and administrative procedures, as well as disagreements between the parties regarding repatriation arrangements.
The death of the accused brings criminal proceedings against him to an end. The investigation into the killing of Larisa Arsanukaeva will therefore conclude without a substantive court hearing on the charges brought against him.
Elizaveta Chukharova
