Journalists have established that Chechen woman Aishat Baymuradova, who was killed in Armenia in mid-October, was a relative of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov. Preliminary reports also suggest that she may have been poisoned.
Baymuradova, 23, was found dead in an apartment in central Yerevan. According to human rights activists from the NC SOS crisis group, her body was discovered near the entrance door. David Isteev, director of the crisis group, stated that she had ‘died painfully, slowly, and with difficulty’, and that the apartment ‘was covered in blood’, possibly because the poison had caused her to vomit blood. He added that ‘the killers sat and waited for her to die’.
Human rights activists reported that Baymuradova was related to Kadyrov, claiming that her grandmother was a first cousin of Kadyrov’s father, Akhmat Kadyrov, a source told Russian independent TV-channel Dozhd.
Activists said that Baymuradova had suffered abuse, including physical and sexual violence, from family members, including her father and grandfather. At the age of 17, she was married to a man she barely knew. Dozhd journalist Valeria Kirsanova reported that the husband was a shooting instructor named Alsolt Seliev, who, according to her information, trained Kadyrov’s military personnel.
Seliev reportedly regularly beat Baymuradova and forced her to perform sexual acts. He also installed surveillance cameras throughout the house. One of Baymuradova’s friends believes that he may have also laced her food with drugs, human rights activist Svetlana Anokhina told Dozhd.
Baymuradova attempted to escape from her husband to her family twice, but relatives returned her. She eventually contacted human rights defenders, who helped her leave Chechnya — she arrived in Yerevan in January. According to activists, she was initially not pursued; however, after her husband learned of her escape, he threatened to ‘starve’ their child.
In Armenia, Baymuradova adopted the name Alex. She actively maintained social media accounts, posting photos with geotags and publicly calling attention to the situation of women in Chechnya. Her friends have said that she was aware of the risks and intended to resist if anyone tried to abduct her.
According to activists, before her disappearance, Baymuradova planned to apply for a humanitarian visa to Germany, but her case was deemed insufficiently strong.
The last time Baymuradova was seen was with a woman named Karina Iminova, who arrived in Yerevan on 14 October. They spent time together and stayed at Iminova’s apartment overnight. On 15 October, Baymuradova informed friends that she was fine, but she soon stopped responding to messages. A few days later, on 19 October, her body was found in a short-term rental apartment.
According to Dozhd, one surveillance camera recorded Iminova getting into a taxi with a man on 16 October. Isteev stated that both then flew to Moscow. Journalists have reported that the man was accompanied by Said-Khamzat Baysarov, a Chechen national and nephew of businessperson Ruslan Baysarov.
The Armenian Investigative Committee only opened a criminal case on premeditated murder in November. Armenian investigators said that there are two suspects, but their names have not been disclosed. Human rights defenders fear that the case may be closed or handed over to Russia.
As of now, Baymuradova’s body remains in the Yerevan morgue, and relatives have refused to collect it.
Chechen Human Rights Defender Mansur Soltaev has commented on her death, blaming human rights activists.
OC Media
