Chechen woman dies in mysterious circumstances within days of returning from neighbouring Georgia

A Chechen woman who escaped from the North Caucasus republic to neighbouring Georgia and then went home under unclear circumstances, has died and been buried within days of her return, human rights organisation North Caucasus SOS (NC SOS) reported on Thursday.

However, Ozdamirova changed her mind after talking to an uncle, who assured her that he could only arrange for her to safely leave Georgia at a later date, despite supporters having told her that this was likely to be a trap.

Ozdamirova crossed the land border back into Russia the following day and died in mysterious circumstances. NC SOS believes that she may have been the victim of an “honour killing”.

Ozdamirova left Chechnya the day another Chechen woman, Aishat Baymuradova, who had fled to Armenia to escape domestic violence was found dead in the capital Yerevan, believed to have been strangled.

In another prominent case, Seda Suleymanova, a Chechen woman who left her family and chose to live independently in St. Petersburg, was returned to Chechnya against her will in August 2023 with the help of the police after relatives tracked her down. She is now missing and presumed dead.