Social media users debated the cause of Aishat Baimuradova's death.

Some social media users have suggested that relatives are involved in the death of Chechen native Ayshat Baimuradova, while their opponents have not ruled out suicide or a politically motivated assassination. Baimuradova fled to Armenia to escape domestic violence, but publicly criticized Kadyrov's regime, the human rights activist said.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," 23-year-old Chechen native Ayshat Baimuradova, who fled domestic violence to Armenia with the help of human rights activists, failed to return from a walk on October 15 when she went to meet a friend. On October 17, police issued a search warrant for Baimuradova, and on October 19, Ayshat was found dead in a rented apartment on Demirchyan Street in Yerevan. The girl was the victim of a so-called "honor killing," human rights activists suggested.

Telegram users, in comments to posts by the human rights organization "Crisis Group SK SOS" (included in the register of foreign agents), expressed various opinions about the cause of Ayshat Baimuradova's death.

And her own families are doing this. I can't wrap my head around it.

The authors of most of these comments suggested that her relatives were involved in the girl's death. "And it's their own families doing this. I can't imagine who they think they are. The Almighty gave her life, how can they raise their hand to take it away," wrote, in particular, Irina Bronnikova.

"I don't know what's going on in the heads of such inhuman people. I don't really care how someone justifies evil. Religion, traditions, 'I didn't think they'd kill me.' There are so many excuses. The essence is the same. A little person, still very young, escaped from a terrible place, just began to live freely... It's all terrible," wrote Tikkirey.

Other users did not rule out the possibility that the Chechen authorities were behind the girl's death. "In Chechnya, it's impossible to live freely, impossible to speak, impossible to be yourself. Anyone who doesn't fit into the imposed 'traditions' and doesn't worship false 'honor' becomes an enemy. People flee their own homes, fleeing humiliation and threats, but even beyond the republic's borders, fear overtakes them... Let this name—Aishat Baimuradova—be a reminder that no authority, hiding behind religion and tradition, has the right to decide who lives and who dies," shared Sakhab Makalov.

"It's terrible, you can't go to meetings with people you barely know, people you know online, when you're on the run! Such disregard for your own safety. Why did she go to a meeting with [who] knows who? Why?" – wrote Tatiana.

"I want to express my gratitude to you for covering such topics, as it helps us understand the measures that Kadyrov's government may take," user As Me wrote in absentia to human rights activists.

"She didn't run away because of Kadyrov, she didn't know him, but because of her dysfunctional family, and they killed her solely at their behest. What's the point of blaming Kadyrov for everything?" opined user with a nickname consisting of an image of a heart.

Women whose behavior their relatives consider a disgrace to their family may become victims of "honor killings" in the Caucasus. These murders are committed by relatives themselves, most often a father or brother, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Honor Killings" in the North Caucasus."

User 1haitan noted that the police did not voice the murder theory. "So what happened? They found a body, possibly suicide. "Nothing has been said about the murder... It's still unknown what happened," he wrote.

Baymuradova's death was also linked to the practice of "honor killings" by the authors of the comments under the "Caucasian Knot" post on Instagram*.
"What honor, this is the Middle Ages," noted, in particular, sonya38855. "Your stereotypical thinking is of no interest to anyone," 05_kamil wrote in response. "So you think this is normal?" "Kill a person?" - 7777 responded.

"God forbid you're born a woman in the North Caucasus, that's why everyone flees from there," opined soul05_04.

The "honor killing" theory was questioned by a "Caucasian Knot" reader with the nickname jerrell.doyle. "In this case, human rights activists, it seems to me, are a little confused. So-called "honor killings" are usually committed by close relatives of the victim. These could be fathers, uncles, siblings, cousins, or second cousins, but never strangers. Because this is a personal matter for a specific family and clan. Experts correctly noted that in previous cases, fugitives were taken home, and their fate was decided there, on the spot. Seda Suleimanova, for example, was killed some time later. But if, as stated here, Baimuradova allowed herself to openly criticize Kadyrov's regime, then Kadyrov's men could have dealt with her directly. So, it turns out that this is no longer an "honor killing," but something entirely different. "Here, the definition of 'political murder' would be more appropriate," he wrote in his commentary.

Human rights activist voiced details of Baimuradova's escape story.

It is too early to draw conclusions that the girl was murdered, said Alexandra Miroshnikova, press secretary of the Crisis Group SK SOS, in her commentary published on October 20 by one of the publications. 1 . "We cannot conclude whether this is murder or something else; literally nothing can be said until the police draw some conclusions," she said.

Miroshnikova also She commented on reports that there were signs of strangulation on Baimuradova's body. "This is just rumor for now; we can't say for sure that it's true. That is, this is information that one person said, another person heard, and a third said that Aishat was strangled, but this is not official information yet. "Perhaps the police will ultimately reach a different conclusion; perhaps this information will be confirmed," the human rights activist said.

We suspect it could be murder.

According to her, "most likely" Aishat was killed. "We suspect it could be murder... This murky story with the 'friend,' of course, suggests murder," she noted.

According to Miroshnikova, Aishat herself said she fled "from beatings." "That she had to leave home because of her husband's violence, and she couldn't return to her parents' house because she was afraid of facing violence from her father." "After leaving Russia, she came to Armenia," the human rights activist said.

She was very vocal in her comments against Kadyrov, against his government, and criticized Chechen security forces.

She noted that Baimuradova had spoken out "against Kadyrov's government" in her comments on social media. "She was very vocal in her comments against Kadyrov, against his government, criticized Chechen security forces, and what is happening in Chechnya now. That is, she was quite vocal in her opposition. This is, of course, not the level of activity that would qualify her as an oppositionist in the Russian environment. These are just comments on social media... But when we talk about Chechnya, even such "just comments" are already very unsafe," she emphasized.

As a reminder, the problem of domestic violence in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan affects women of all ages, but it is mainly young women under 30 who try to escape it, human rights activists noted in 2023. The problem of evacuating victims of domestic violence is most acute in these regions, since the authorities and security forces there take the side of domestic aggressors. For victims of domestic violence, escape often becomes the only chance to save their lives.

In 2023, Chechen native Seda Suleimanova was detained in St. Petersburg and taken against her will to relatives in Chechnya. After that, no news was received from her. Her friends and human rights activists believe that she was a victim so-called "honor killings" and require an investigation. Details can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Kidnapping of Seda Suleimanova".