Patyaeva was left in police custody for a second night for picketing Seda Suleimanova's fate.

The trial of Lena Patyaeva, detained at a picket in St. Petersburg commemorating the fate of her friend Seda Suleimanova, has been postponed. The activist will spend another night in police custody.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on November 25, Lena Patyaeva held a picket 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 managed to stand with the sign for about 40 minutes before security forces arrested her. Patyaeva was left at the police station pending her trial scheduled for November 26.

Lena Patyaeva's trial in St. Petersburg has been postponed until 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Lena spent last night at the 42nd police station awaiting a hearing at the Krasnoselsky Court. However, the police have not yet disclosed the specific charges against the picketer, according to the "Word of Defense" project.

Lena Patyaeva is still at the police station. Officers informed her that the court hearing was scheduled for today at 2:00 PM Moscow time and asked her lawyer to hurry up and review the minutes. However, by 2:00 PM, the minutes were still not ready, and the officers were unable to say when the hearing would actually take place. It was only after 3:00 PM Moscow time that it became known that the hearing would take place tomorrow at 12:30 PM. Lena will remain at the station for another night, according to the SOS* Crisis Group.

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

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

* is listed as a foreign agent.

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