Sara was born in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, but her passport lists Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, as her place of birth. Her father fled Russia due to being on a federal wanted list, taking the family with him. Raised as a devout Muslim, Sara struggled with the faith, which led to painful protests and physical beatings from her family.

Sara faced harsh punishment for simple acts like talking to classmates or playing outside. After ninth grade, she was pulled out of school, and her family began attempts to arrange a marriage for her. This proved challenging, as Sara did not know how to cook.

For nearly four years after leaving school, Sara was confined to her home, rarely leaving her room. In 2022, she sought help from the UN. The organization’s staff invited Sara, her mother, and her brother to a meeting. They were separated into different rooms; while the staff spoke with her mother and brother, Sara was taken away to a shelter.

She spent several months there, but her parents discovered her whereabouts and tried to force her to return. However, the shelter staff refused to release her without her consent. Eventually, Sara returned home, convinced by a psychologist that she should give her family a chance to change. Later, she learned that her parents had bribed the psychologist to facilitate her return.

A week after coming home, Sara was sent to Saratov, Russia, under the pretense of attending college. Instead of studying, she was taken to Dagestan, another North Caucasian republic in Russia, where she was subjected to “jinn exorcism” practices at the “Islamic Center for Healing from the Evil Eye and Witchcraft.” An imam beat her with a stick, recited verses from the Quran, spat in her face, and forced her to inhale unknown herbs.

In the spring of 2023, Sara managed to escape with the assistance of NC SOS and successfully left the country by the summer.