Chechen activist facing extradition to Russia attempted suicide for second time, support group says

Chechen activist Mansur Movlayev attempted suicide for a second time on 15 September, hours after he was hospitalised for an earlier attempt that same day in a pretrial detention centre in Kazakhstan, the Russian Anti-War Committee said on Thursday.

Movlayev, who fled Chechnya for Kazakhstan and faces extradition to Russia, cut his neck while in hospital, according to a group of his supporters.

“The man is simply in despair. We have no words. We don’t even know what to say or what to do,” the group said.

In his first attempt, Movlayev left a note saying he was exhausted by injustice and would not allow Kadyrov's security forces to torture him again. He apologised to everyone helping him fight extradition and asked supporters to help Yulia Yemelyanova, a Russian activist also facing extradition to Russia from Kazakhstan.

Movlayev has been held in Almaty under an extradition warrant since May 2025. Kazakhstan's Cassation Court this month upheld an earlier refusal to grant him asylum. Russia is seeking his extradition on extortion charges, which Movlayev says are fabricated.