Aishat Khizriyeva, a 21-year-old Chechen woman, has left Russia, the human rights group SK SOS reported on April 23.
In a video address, Khizriyeva thanked supporters for their help and said she was safe.
Human rights activists said she could not safely remain in Russia, where her pursuers might make another attempt to abduct her.
The day before, it emerged that Khizriyeva had fled Chechnya after being threatened by her father. She flew to Novosibirsk, where friends were waiting for her — but people of Chechen origin who identified themselves as police officers then nearly abducted her.
Khizriyeva reached out to human rights activists and journalists and sought help from the Novosibirsk police. After giving a statement, she was able to leave the police station.
Women from Chechnya are increasingly attempting to flee the republic to escape domestic violence, torture, and police persecution. Relatives track them down and force them home. Several women are known to have died after being returned to Chechnya.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.
