The Interior Ministry of Russia has issued a report regarding a woman who was abducted and taken to the Chechen Republic nearly two years ago, as reported by the exiled news outlet Mediazona on Monday.

Seda Suleimanova, 28, escaped from Chechnya in October 2022 due to threats to her life from family members who were upset by her refusal of an arranged marriage. In August 2023, she was forcibly taken from her apartment in St. Petersburg by Russian police and unidentified individuals from Chechnya, and she was returned against her will to her family.

Since that time, there have been no updates on Suleimanova’s whereabouts. In April 2024, federal investigators initiated a criminal investigation into her disappearance, which was subsequently referred to Chechen authorities.

On Monday, Mediazona reported that the Interior Ministry of Russia has now included her in its database of missing persons.

There are concerns that Suleimanova may have been the victim of an “honor killing,” a tragic phenomenon where family members, usually male relatives, murder women for perceived dishonor to the family. This practice is prevalent in the predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region, particularly in Chechnya, although the exact number of such cases remains concealed due to the stigma attached.

The human rights organization SK SOS, which assisted Suleimanova in her escape from Chechnya in 2022, stated that her relatives informed investigators that she left their residence again in February 2024. However, the organization also noted that these same relatives did not report her as missing after that incident.

SK SOS has initiated a petition urging federal authorities to take over the investigation from Chechen law enforcement agencies.