Press Release, 15.01.2026

Photo: Aina Mankiyeva / Photo from social media

On the night of 15 January 2026, Moscow police detained 21-year-old Aina Mankiyeva, a native of Ingushetia. The reason was an accusation of theft brought by Aina’s relatives, to whom law enforcement officers were preparing to “hand her over” the following morning. The fact was that the young woman had fled from, in her own words, systematic beatings and in particular from “repeated rapes” at home, and had asked not to be sought and to be given the opportunity to sever all ties with her family. In their homeland, such “fugitives” may face death or disappearance.

The young woman spent the night at the police station and wrote a statement in which she recounted that at home she “had been repeatedly raped”. She was begging not to be returned to Ingushetia and feared for her life.

“The accusation of theft is a typical pretext to return a “fugitive” back under family control. Initially, Aina spent the night at the Moscow police department in the Sviblovo district, and now, according to activists’ reports, security forces with automatic weapons and a police van have arrived at the station,” Kirill Goncharov, Chairman of Moscow Yabloko points out.

All this – for a woman who simply wants to be safe, Kirill Goncharov emphasises:

“Aina is not a criminal – she is a human being, and the right to freedom and safety must not depend on one’s region. The police and the Investigative Committee must immediately cease attempts to transport Aina to Ingushetia and ensure her safety. The state is obliged to protect the victim, not become an instrument of violence under the guise of ‘traditions’.”

It should be noted that Yeva Merkacheva, a member of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, has become involved in the situation. She notes that the accusation of theft is simply a ploy, a “well-rehearsed practice”, to return people who have fled from domestic violence in the Caucasus. Such cases, according to Merkacheva’s observations, are becoming increasingly common in Russia, and the state must not encourage them.

Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov reminds that the scheme used for the forced return of adult women home is not only Aina Mankiyeva’s case. Exactly the same situation occurred in 2023 with Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared in Chechnya, and in 2025 with 23-year-old Chechen woman Aishat Baymuradova, who was found dead in a rented flat in Yerevan. The loud public outcry that arose over the possible handover of Aina Mankiyeva to Ingushetia’s security forces is connected with the public’s absolute understanding of what will happen to the young woman next, emphasises Nikolai Rybakov:

“We are categorically opposed to mediaeval ‘honour codes’ that turn young women’s lives into a prison. Opposed to the shameful system that deprives them of freedom of choice and the right to control their own destiny. Opposed to violence in any of its manifestations. We shall closely monitor Aina’s fate. And we hope for an adequate response from federal law enforcement agencies regarding her situation. This is their chance to prove that they obey the law, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and not mediaeval rules.”

It should be noted that Aina Mankiyeva, despite being in a safe location on the evening of 15 January, remains a suspect in a criminal case concerning theft and may be detained at any moment. Human rights defenders are convinced that she was released only thanks to the publicity and public outcry – otherwise, the young woman would already have been taken out of Moscow.