Protesters in Yerevan demanded an investigation into the murder of Aishat Baimuradova.

About two dozen people participated in a mass picket in Yerevan dedicated to the murder of Ayshat Baimuradova, a native of Chechnya. Armenia must provide state protection to women who fled Chechnya and other North Caucasus regions, activists said.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," 23-year-old Ayshat Baimuradova, a native of Chechnya who fled domestic violence to Armenia with the help of human rights activists, failed to return from a walk on October 15 when she went to meet a friend. On October 17, police issued a search warrant for Baimuradova, and on October 19, Ayshat was found dead in a rented apartment on Demirchyan Street in Yerevan. On October 27, a petition demanding an investigation into the girl's death was published; by November 2, it had collected over a thousand signatures.

A mass picket organized by friends and acquaintances of Ayshat Baimuradova took place this afternoon in Republic Square in Yerevan. At least 17 people participated in the action, some wearing masks. They held posters with Ayshat Baimuradova's image and the caption "killed" in Russian and English, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reported.

The picket was announced the day before, on November 3, on the "Friends of Ayshat" Telegram channel. The organizers noted that activists can join the action anonymously, covering their faces with a mask, glasses, or other convenient means, if they have reason to fear for their safety.

According to one of the picketers, the goal of the protest is to keep Aishat Baimuradova's case on the news agenda. "We came to Republic Square in front of the Armenian government building to demand a transparent, independent investigation into Aishat's murder, state aid and protection for female refugees from Chechnya and other regions, widespread coverage of Aishat's tragedy in Armenian and international media, and a revision of the three-day law—searches for missing persons must begin immediately," the protester said.

Another picketer noted that Baimuradova's family in Chechnya has distant family ties to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

"It's a fairly common practice for girls, and sometimes men too, who flee domestic violence in Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia to be persecuted, even if they flee to other countries," the picketer noted.

According to the activist, the goal of the protest is to tell Armenians about the story of Aishat, who was killed in their country. "It's long been known in Russia that Kadyrov's men kidnap and kill people with impunity. We want to warn Armenians not to allow this to happen in their country, not to turn the country into a 'passable yard' where people can come, commit a crime, and then leave without any hindrance," the activist said.