Human rights activists assessed the risk of Aina Mankieva's forced return to Ingushetia.

For Aina Mankieva, a native of Ingushetia who fled domestic violence, she faces threats from both her father, who promised to bring her home "at any cost," and law enforcement. Only publicity helped secure her release from police custody.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Aina Mankieva's father, Khambor, told reporters that he would find his daughter "at any cost," citing his connections in law enforcement and government agencies "to the highest levels." According to the man, the family has recruited "many people" from various law enforcement agencies to help search for Aina, and all of these people, as well as certain State Duma representatives, are "working" to bring the girl home. Aina's father's threat to return home sparked a discussion among Facebook* users about the contradiction between traditional values ​​and human rights.

Aina Mankieva and her lawyer are currently declining to speak with journalists, refusing to inform the media about the progress of the investigation into her allegations of violence or the status of the theft case brought against Aina at the request of her relatives. The girl will not be able to leave Russia for a long time, Katerina Neroznikova, coordinator of the Marem movement, told the Caucasian Knot.

"Aina is currently in Russia, and she will have to deal with law enforcement agencies for a long time on various issues. Therefore, with the support of her lawyers, she will now be dealing with various legal issues," Neroznikova said.

She noted that Mankieva suffers from health problems and is visually impaired. "And, of course, she is a very vulnerable person who cannot simply up and go somewhere and start a new life. For her, this is all, of course, much more difficult than for others. "The only plan is to deal with this; there can be no further plans," Neroznikova explained.

The threat that police would send Aina to Ingushetia and hand her over to relatives after her arrest was, according to the activist, "enormous." "If it weren't for her interaction with human rights organizations, their support, and the publicity, I don't know what would have happened to her. I don't even want to think about it," she said.

For anyone similarly threatened by relatives, seeking support from human rights activists is a chance to protect themselves, she added. "It is imperative to at least seek advice from a human rights organization. You shouldn't be left alone in such a situation," Neroznikova emphasized.

Not only relatives but also security forces still pose a real threat to Aina Mankieva, according to Svetlana Gannushkina, head of the Civic Assistance Committee*.

"With his baseless claims of 'recruitment,' the father is exposing his daughter to this system, simply because he doesn't like her choice. This is, of course, monstrous, because people are accused of being spies and foreign agents. These criminal charges don't require much evidence—it's common knowledge how such cases are handled. Certain agencies will happily take on another case to report on their performance indicators. Of course, this is very bad. The very raising of the question that the daughter 'belongs to the family' seems to me to be completely devastating to the individual," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The capabilities of human rights activists in the current environment are severely limited, and appeals to government agencies are ineffective in most cases, she noted.

"Unfortunately, in the Caucasus, both human rights activists and government agencies are very afraid to interfere in family matters, with very rare exceptions. And those who make this exception are themselves in constant danger. It is very difficult to give advice in a lawless environment, when actions are fraught with great danger, even murder. Resistance within the law is possible when there are state forces that uphold the law. But when they are helpless or unwilling to uphold the law, we are powerless. Because every time we help someone, we put that person at risk too. And if we help, we must do so as carefully as possible. If possible, we should talk to relatives, try to persuade them, and reconcile the family," concluded Gannushkina*.

President of the Center for the Study of Global Contemporary Issues and Regional Problems "Caucasus. World." Saida Sirazhudinova sees in Aina's father's statement signs of a threat both to the girl herself and to the human rights activists who are helping her.

"Considering that he is a Batalkhadzhin, they have many ways to find a person. On the other hand, it is possible that he is exaggerating, as is common in the Caucasus, because right now the clan is in disgrace. If they used to have great opportunities, now they themselves are being greatly oppressed," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Sirazhudinova expressed hope that Aina "has a chance for salvation," since she was not handed over to her relatives after her arrest in Moscow. "The fact that she was able to be rescued and not handed over to those who oppressed her is good. I am sure that those who helped her are not idle and will find a way to protect her. Much also depends on the girl herself: there are those who hide for decades and their entire lives, and they succeed," she noted. She.

Ayna herself had previously expressed concerns that all members of the community would be involved in the search for her, noting that the Batalhajins "prohibit friendship and contacts outside the vird." She also noted that practices of violence against women are widespread among members of this community - in particular, female genital mutilation and forced incest at the initiative of male relatives.

"For example, my brother told me that when I get married and my husband is not at home, he will come to me," she claimed.

* listed as a foreign agent.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.