Aina Mankieva, a 21-year-old resident of Ingushetia who has spoken about years of domestic violence by her relatives, has been detained in Moscow, human rights defenders from the Marem centre told OC Media. Mankieva was detained on suspicion of theft, but human rights defenders consider the accusation fabricated and fear that Mankieva could be forcibly returned to her family.
According to representatives of Marem, Mankieva was detained on Tuesday evening and taken to a police station in the Sviblovo district of Moscow where she still remains as of publication. Rights defenders say there is a risk that she could be handed over to Ingush security officers, after which she may be returned to her relatives against her will.
Mankieva fled her home in April 2025. She was unable to take any belongings or documents with her. After that, her relatives reported her missing. According to human rights defenders, Mankieva later went to the police herself and was removed from the wanted list, after which she continued to hide, fearing a forced return to her family.
Mankieva’s mother has now filed a police report alleging theft, claiming that her daughter stole ₽20,000 ($250) from her. Marem says that such false accusations are a common tactic used to initiate a criminal case and create grounds to bring women who have fled back to their home regions.
Mankieva grew up in a large family and has a visual disability. According to her, she was subjected to beatings, psychological pressure, and humiliation by close relatives from childhood. She has filed a counter-complaint with the police against her family members, in which she claims that she was deprived of her liberty and repeatedly raped. Mankieva has also asked that her mother be held accountable for filing what she describes as a knowingly false report against her.
Mankieva’s father had previously faced criminal prosecution: in 2012, he was found guilty in a case involving an attempt to sell a two-year-old child.
Rights defenders also claim that Mankieva’s family is connected to the batalkhadzhintsy — a closed religious and communal group in Ingushetia. Among other things, they practise female genital mutilation and are known for strict internal family control.
‘Aina’s life has been a real nightmare. Under no circumstances should she be returned to Ingushetia’, a representative from Marem stressed to OC Media.
‘In her case, the risk of disappearing forever, as happened with Seda Suleymanova, is very high […] Seda has not been found, either alive or dead. It is now extremely important not to allow the same thing to happen to Aina’.
Chechen woman Seda Suleymanova reportedly ran away from her family in 2022 due to her unwillingness to enter a loveless marriage, after which she settled in Saint Petersburg. In August 2023, she was brought back to Chechnya against her will with the involvement of law enforcement officials. There has been no information about her whereabouts since, and human rights activists fear she may have been the victim of an ‘honour killing’.
‘Honour killings’ are a practice in which family members commit violence against a relative whose behaviour they believe has brought shame to the family. Such cases are not uncommon in the North Caucasus. Women can become victims of violence or even murder for refusing an imposed marriage, violating traditional norms of behaviour, or seeking an independent life.
Elizaveta Chukharova
