Lawyer Discusses 23-Year-Old Chechen Woman Aishat Baymuradova Murdered in Yerevan

23-year-old Chechen woman Aishat Baymuradova, who had fled domestic violence and sought refuge in Armenia, was murdered in an apartment in downtown Yerevan. The Russian website Meduza reported on the murder, noting that Aishat had moved to Armenia in an attempt to escape her relatives' control. In Yerevan, she was cleaning houses to make a living.

According to human rights activists, many women from the North Caucasus republics come to Yerevan for the same reason—seeking protection from familial or community pressures. It has been noted that Baymuradova maintained a public Instagram page, where she received threats in both Russian and Chechen languages. She was accused of 'violating traditions,' with reminders of the fates of women murdered in the past.

Human rights activist Lydia Mikhalchenkova stated in a conversation with the website that Aishat was most likely strangled, and her murder had an exhibitionist nature—serving as a warning to other women trying to escape the North Caucasus. She suggested that the perpetrators might have returned to Russia. Mikhalchenkova emphasized that girls in similar situations should strictly adhere to information security protocols, keeping their social media accounts private and limiting their communications.