The dismissal of the theft case against Mankieva has given hope to human rights activists.

The investigation found no evidence of Aina Mankieva's involvement in the theft previously reported by her family, and the case against the girl was dropped. Investigators in this case resolved the matter, unlike a similar situation involving Seda Suleimanova.

As reported by the "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 her home sparked a discussion among Facebook* users about the juxtaposition of traditional values ​​and human rights. For Mankieva, both her father, who promised to return her home "at any cost," and law enforcement officers pose a threat, and only publicity helped secure her release from the police after her arrest. Mankieva's profile had previously disappeared from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' wanted list.

Aina Mankieva is no longer accused of theft, the human rights group Marem reported today.

She can return to normal life! "Perhaps for the first time, we are seeing investigators working with a 'healthy person': law enforcement officers verified her statements, took into account the circumstances of domestic violence and threats to her life, re-examined the 'evidence' against her, and decided that Aina Mankieva is innocent of stealing money from her mother!" the statement reads.

A criminal case against Aina for theft was opened on August 15. It was opened after Aina's mother filed a complaint: she claimed her daughter had stolen 20,000 rubles from her. At that time, Aina had already fled from her family for several months and was living in Moscow. And on January 16, the day after we, together with you, protected Aina from being transferred to relatives in Ingushetia, investigators re-examined her case.

“Having examined the evidence collected in the case in its entirety, including the statement of Ya.S. Mankieva dated August 6, 2025, the interrogation of Ya.S. Mankieva as a victim, and the interrogation of A.Kh. Mankieva as a witness, who completely denies guilt in committing the crime with which she is charged, the investigation concludes that the investigation has not obtained any other evidence confirming the involvement of A.Kh. Mankieva in the commission of the crime provided for by paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and the existing evidence is insufficient to bring the latter to criminal responsibility. Therefore, the actions of Aina Khamborovna Mankieva, born September 5, 2004, do not constitute a crime under paragraph “c.” Part 2 of Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," human rights activists cite the investigation's findings.

Theft reports are a tried-and-true method of legally returning victims of domestic violence to the region they fled. Similar cases were brought against Seda Suleimanova and Selima Ismailova. The police took both of them back to Chechnya, and we never saw either of them again. The fact that this didn't happen to Aina Mankieva is a shared victory for us! It was the publicity that helped pull Aina out when the situation seemed hopeless!

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that Aina Mankieva's complaint about sexualized violence within her family is a priority, as human rights activists noted that Aina would be in danger if she were to return to the republic as part of the theft investigation, as was the case with Seda Suleimanova.

Vladislav Davankov, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, had previously drawn attention to Aina Mankieva's case. On January 15, he announced that he was preparing an "appeal to Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev" regarding Aina's case to prevent the police from detaining her again and sending her home. On January 21, his New People faction introduced a bill on protection from domestic violence to the lower house of parliament. "We have introduced a bill to the State Duma that would prohibit the deportation of people to their homeland if they are in danger. If a detainee states that they could face violence at home, their transfer is permitted only after the statement has been verified and with the court's approval," the deputy wrote on his Telegram channel.

Mankieva said that her family belongs to the Batalkhadzhin vird and expressed fears that the entire vird would search for her. "The vird practices strict control over children, early marriage for girls (from age 13), and rarely allows girls to complete even ninth grade," the human rights group Marem quoted her as saying on January 15.

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, according to human rights activists from the Ad Rem team in their report. The problem of evacuating victims of domestic violence is most acute in these regions, as authorities and security forces there 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 their families' control. For victims of domestic violence, escape often becomes the only chance to save their lives, human rights activists emphasized.