Patyaeva was left in police custody until the morning for picketing about the fate of Seda Suleimanova.

Lena Patyaeva, a friend of kidnapped Chechen native Seda Suleimanova, detained for picketing in St. Petersburg, has been held at the police station pending a court hearing scheduled for November 26.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Lena Patyaeva held a picket today outside the 54th police station in the Krasnoselsky District, where Seda Suleimanova was taken in August 2023, immediately before her abduction and forced return to Chechnya. She held a sign that read, "You gave her over to her death. Live with it." Patyaeva held her picket to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. She held the sign for about 40 minutes before being detained by security forces.

Lena Patyaeva, detained for picketing Seda Suleimanova, was left at the police station for the entire evening and night, pending her trial scheduled for November 26, the Slovo Zashchitei project reported.

The security forces who charged Patyaeva with violating public assembly regulations (Article 20.2 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses) never explained to her the specific nature of her violation of picketing regulations, notes the Crisis Group Investigative Committee SOS*.

Human rights activists have called on local activists to bring a parcel for Patyaeva to the 42nd precinct in St. Petersburg, as those detained are not being provided with food, water, or hygiene products. The article Lena Patyaeva was charged with carries a sentence of up to 40 hours of community service.

Pataeva is a friend of Seda Suleimanova and the organizer of a campaign demanding an investigation into her disappearance. Security forces have repeatedly detained her for public actions related to the Suleimanova case: for example, in August, the activist stood in a solo picket for four hours near the Akhmat Kadyrov Bridge, after which she was taken to the police station, and in April, for a picket on the same bridge, Patyaeva received 20 hours of community service.

In March, Lena Patyaeva held a picket in Grozny, where she was also taken to the police station, but released without a report. Meanwhile, Grozny security forces called Suleimanova's fate a "family matter".

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