Blind Crimean political prisoner disappeared despite court decision

The Crimean court ordered the release of a blind Crimean Muslim man, Oleksandr Sizikov, for health reasons. However, his whereabouts remain unknown, and his lawyer was unable to gain access to his client.

This was reported by Krym. Realii.

The Russian-controlled Supreme Court of Crimea has canceled the decision on the administrative arrest of blind Oleksandr Sizikov, a defendant in the "case of Crimean Muslims", and ordered his immediate release from custody due to his health condition. However, Sizikov's defense lawyer, lawyer Emil Kurbedinov, was unable to take him out of the detention center: the man's whereabouts are currently unknown.

According to the lawyer, after receiving the court decision, he went to the temporary detention center in Bakhchisarai, but his client was not there. He was informed that Sizikov had been transported to Simferopol, but he could not be found in any of the local detention centers.

The man has been illegally detained for the ninth day, and now they started playing "cat and mouse". I can't find out where he is and get the court decision, which came into force on October 31, enforced," the lawyer said.

Let us remind you that on October 21, the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court of Russia canceled the decision to release Sizikov and ordered to return him to prison in Crimea. On October 22, security forces conducted a search in Bakhchisaray district and took away a blind man. On October 23, the Russian-controlled Bakhchisaray District Court arrested him for 10 days under the article "disobedience to police".

In May, a Russian court released Crimean political prisoner Oleksandr Sizikov, who has completely lost his sight and needs constant care. Despite his disability and lack of evidence, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case.

On September 14, Sizikov was again detained by Russian security forces and taken to an unknown location. The following month, a Krasnoyarsk court ruled to return the man to prison, although he had recently been released due to his serious health condition.

Sizikov was arrested in July 2020 after searches of his friends' homes. According to the FSB, he allegedly created a "terrorist cell" in 2015. In fact, the man opposed the arrests of Crimean Muslims, attended courts and picketed in support of his imam.

Анна Бальчінос