Georgian police reportedly tell family where to find Russian woman who fled their arranged marriage plans

Last month, 22-year-old Zaira Pirova fled Russia for the Republic of Georgia to escape an arranged marriage in Dagestan. Now, the human rights group SK SOS says law enforcement in Georgia is communicating Pirova’s location to her relatives back home, aiding the family’s unwanted pursuit that has already led to two confrontations with police in Moscow. 

Human rights activists point out that Georgian officials have no legal grounds to disclose an adult’s location to third parties without an ongoing felony investigation. In Russia, Pivora struggled to get the police to drop the missing person case filed by her family after she left Dagestan. Her relatives also reportedly threatened her friends, trying to find out where she was.

Activists say Pirova decided to move away from her family after attending college in Vladikavkaz and “enjoying some freedom.”