The Investigative Committee of Armenia has officially confirmed the names of suspects in the murder of Baimuradova.
Representatives of the Armenian Investigative Committee have officially named the suspects in the murder of Chechen native Ayshat Baimuradova for the first time, confirming the information provided by human rights activists. A request for their names was sent to Interpol, but Russia ignored the request for assistance with the investigation.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," 23-year-old Chechen native Ayshat Baimuradova was found dead in a rented apartment in Yerevan on October 19. She fled to Armenia from domestic violence, but publicly criticized the Kadyrov regime. Human rights activists have not received the final results of the examination of Baimuradova's body. A request was sent to Russia regarding her burial, but no one was found willing to take Baimuradova's body home within three months. Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan expressed his willingness to assist human rights activists with the legal formalities involved in organizing Baimuradova's funeral.
Karina Iminova, who summoned Aishat to a meeting, and 30-year-old Chechen native Said-Khamzat Baysarov were seen near the house where Baimuradova's body was found. Baimuradova, found dead in Yerevan, suffered a long and painful death, and her killers waited for her to die, David Isteyev, director of the SOS* Investigative Committee Crisis Group, said on December 8.
The Investigative Committee of Armenia has released official information on the investigation into Aishat Baimuradova's murder for the first time, naming two suspects. The agency confirmed that the men in question are Karina Iminova and Said-Khamzat Baysarov, already named by human rights activists, according to the agency's response to a BBC inquiry.
Iminova and Baysarov are Russian citizens, but Russian authorities have not responded to a request for assistance in the investigation sent to them by the Armenian side.
Investigators believe that Iminova and Baysarov acted on the instructions of a third person, whose details have not yet been established. On December 1, they submitted a request for them to Interpol. This is a so-called diffusion request—a less formal request than a "red notice," according to the BBC Russian Service.
The case materials also list Aishat's probable cause of death as mechanical asphyxiation, but include a caveat stating that it was impossible to definitively establish the cause of death. Forensic experts found "small and large hemorrhages" on the girl's body, as well as skin lesions on the right side of her face, which could have been caused by "exposure to high temperatures."
According to human rights activists, Karina Iminova lied to acquaintances about her past and purposefully met people who had left Chechnya. Although she herself is not a native of Chechnya, she had visited the republic. Iminova and Baysarov left Armenia for Russia immediately after Baymuradova's murder.