Levashi villagers explain background of conflict over abducted girl

The parents of the abducted young woman wanted to marry her to a rich bridegroom against her will, but she left with her beloved young man, pretending to be abducted, residents of the village of Levashi have explained. A wedding in Dagestan means a lot of expense; so, young people have to fake abduction, villagers have added.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a gathering held in the above village, centre of the Levashi District, on May 20 demanded to return the young woman, abducted by a young man, back to her family, and complained about inaction of law enforcement bodies. In their turn, the police have objected that the adult young woman had voluntarily, but against the will of her family, left with her bridegroom and entered into an Islamic marriage with him. In her Telegram channel, Gayana Garieva, the press secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan, posted a video in which the girl has admitted that she went away with her young man voluntarily.

"As far as I know, against the girl's will, on the initiative of her parents, she became engaged to a young man from another, richer family. Her parents were against her meetings with the abductor, since his family had no funds enough for gifts for the bride and a big wedding," Patimat, a Levashi villager, has explained.

"If a couple, whose marriage was consented to by the parents of both parties, had staged an 'abduction' by mutual consent, then this would not have caused such a resonance. In Dagestan, situations often arise when a girl's parents, against her will, marry her off to a wealthy person or someone with 'status'. For a young man who has no well-paid job, getting married is a big expense," said Ziyautdin, a resident of the Levashi District.

According to his story, if a girl agrees to marry her loved one in a given situation, then such "abductions" are often staged. In the future, they usually end in families' reconciliation.