Human rights activists have launched a fundraising campaign to help a fugitive from Dagestan.
A Dagestani woman who escaped domestic violence and prevented an attempted kidnapping of a Chechen woman by her family in Yerevan needs help, as her identity has been compromised. As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 10, the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on its website that a foreign citizen called the police on the evening of February 7 and reported that her friend's father had arrived from abroad, threatened to kill his daughter, and had now kidnapped her. Law enforcement located the Chechen woman and her father, and she confirmed the death threats. The man has been deported and is also banned from entering Armenia.An attempt was made to kidnap a girl from Chechnya in the hallway of a shopping center. Her friend, Leyla (name changed), a Dagestani woman who had also escaped domestic violence, was with her at the time. During the kidnapping, the girl's father revealed Leyla's real name and stated that he knew everything about her and that if she intervened, she would be in serious trouble, as her family was also looking for her. Nevertheless, Leyla did not remain silent: she contacted the police and human rights activists. Thanks to her actions, the kidnapped girl was rescued, the SOS* Crisis Group reported today.
The victim is under guard. However, Leyla herself was forced to take security measures: change jobs and move out of her rented apartment.
The SK SOS* crisis group and the Marem human rights group have launched a fundraiser to cover Leyla's needs for two months. "With this money, she will be able to buy a new phone and SIM card, pay for temporary housing, and cover basic expenses (food and hygiene products). Within two months, Leyla, together with human rights activists, will assess her next steps and, if necessary, will be able to find a new place to live and work," the publication states.
According to the information on the fundraising page, the goal is to raise 150 euros. "We can only collect donations from foreign cards and PayPal. However, if you have a ruble card, you can safely make a donation through Marem; they are not a foreign agent or an undesirable organization," the human rights activists write.
As a reminder, female refugees from the North Caucasus find themselves in a vulnerable position in a foreign land due to intense nostalgia, which forces them to seek contact with people from the North Caucasus Federal District and creates the risk of exposing their hiding place, human rights activists noted in November 2025.
The problem of domestic violence in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Chechnya affects women of all ages, but it is primarily young women under 30 who seek to escape it, the human rights activists from the Ad Rem team noted in their report. The problem of evacuating victims of domestic violence is most acute in these regions, as authorities and security forces side with domestic abusers. In June 2023, the BBC released a documentary, "When I Escaped," about young women from the North Caucasus who managed to escape the control of their families. For victims of domestic violence, escape often becomes the only chance to save their lives, human rights activists emphasized.
On October 19, 2025, 23-year-old Aishat Baimuradova, a native of Chechnya, was found dead in a rented apartment in Yerevan. Baimuradova told human rights activists that she had fled "from beatings." According to the girl, she had to leave home due to violence from her husband, and she could not return to her parents' house because she was afraid of facing violence from her father. After leaving Russia, she came to Armenia.
Karina Iminova, whom Ayshat had met before her death, and a 30-year-old native of Chechen Said-Khamzat Baysarov. According to human rights activists, Karina Iminova lied to acquaintances about her past and deliberately met people who had left Chechnya. She is not originally from Chechnya, but has visited the republic. Iminova and Baysarov left Armenia for Russia immediately after Baymuradova's murder.
In February, the Investigative Committee of Armenia officially named the suspects in Aishat Baymuradova's murder for the first time. The agency confirmed that they were Karina Iminova and Said-Khamzat Baysarov, already named by human rights activists. A request for their information was sent to Interpol, but Russia ignored the request for assistance with the investigation.
At the end of October 2025, Chechen Human Rights Commissioner Mansur Soltayev stated that Aishat Baimuradova had a conflict with human rights activists. Commentators called his version absurd. Chechen authorities used Baimuradova's murder to intimidate potential female refugees from Chechnya, and Soltayev became the face of this campaign, human rights activists noted.
Women whose behavior their relatives considered a disgrace to their family could become victims of "honor killings" in the Caucasus. Such murders are committed by relatives themselves, most often a father or brother, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Honor Killings" in the North Caucasus".
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