Russian feminist and anti-war activist Anastasia Yemelyanova was found dead in eastern Turkey on Sunday, according to a statement from a friend and Russian media reports.
Yemelyanova’s fiancé was detained on charges of murder in the eastern province of Erzurum, fellow activist Anastasia Polozkova wrote on Instagram.
“Nastya [Yemelyanova] was killed three days ago,” Polozkova said, adding that she had gone missing on Sept. 20.
The slain activist hosted a show on the YouTube channel “Feministki Poyasnyayut” (Feminists Explain), in which she campaigned against domestic violence.
Polozkova said Yemelyanova, 32, was very careful about her safety and let her know her location and with whom she was with.
Polozkova said when her friends attempted to file a missing person’s report with the Turkish police last week, the police denied their request.
She asked for help from anyone who had to deal with the paperwork for the repatriation of the body of a loved one from Turkey.
Media reports said Yemelyanova’s fiancé, identified only by his first name Nizar, is believed to have murdered her. The pair lived together in Erzurum, where Nizar studied engineering.
The independent Russian news outlet Activatica identified Nizar as a Syrian citizen who had moved to Turkey.
Russian diplomats and Turkish authorities are currently working on repatriating Yemelyanova’s body, Polozkova said, adding that a lawyer has been provided free of charge for Yemelyanova’s mother by the “wonderful Turkish feminists who help women in situations of violence.”
According to a report on the Instagram page of Russian-language feminist publication Wonderzine Yemelyanova was stabbed to death.
Yemelyanova reportedly left Russia for İstanbul last year due to her activism against Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to Instagram user Daria_apakhonchich, who described Yemelyanova as a fellow activist. Apakhonchich added that Yemelyanova had moved to Erzurum to live with her boyfriend. “We were all very happy that she had found love,” she said.