Crimean journalist and political prisoner tortured by starvation

Crimean political prisoner Remzi Bekirov has lost a lot of weight and has serious health problems due to the harsh conditions of detention in the Russian colony. He is forbidden to perform religious rites, and his family calls on the international community to demand his immediate release.

This was reported by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Crimean political prisoner and civil society journalist Remzi Bekirov has lost a lot of weight, having lost about 30 kilograms during his stay in the Russian colony. According to his relatives, Bekirov now weighs only 78 kg, and his health has deteriorated significantly due to the harsh conditions of detention.

Also, the relatives of the political prisoner said that due to poor nutrition, his teeth are gradually decaying, and his varicose veins are getting worse, because he is forced to stand a lot due to strict rules. His relatives also note that the photos show how much he has weakened, and many people no longer recognize him. After being transferred to colony No. 33 in Khakassia in early August 2024, Bekirov was virtually continuously held in a punishment isolation ward.

The lack of adequate nutrition adds to his anxiety: Bekirov almost never receives meat, dairy products, fruits or vegetables. He is allowed to send parcels only once every six months weighing up to 20 kg.

In addition to physical suffering, Bekirov faces violations of his religious rights. He is forbidden to perform five times a day prayers, an obligatory practice of Islam, as the internal regime of the colony does not provide for it. Relatives emphasize that this is a direct violation of freedom of religion.

They also report humiliating conditions in the showers: the doors are equipped with a transparent window through which the convoys observe the prisoners, which exerts psychological pressure and violates human dignity.

On March 27, 2019, Russian security forces searched 26 homes of Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea, detaining 20 people on suspicion of having links to the Hizbut-Tahrir organization banned in Russia. Remzi Bekirov was sentenced by a Russian court to 19 years in prison.

Meanwhile, Crimean human rights activist and citizen journalist Irina Danilovich is being held in appalling conditions in a penal colony in the Stavropol Territory. She reports that, along with other prisoners, she is forced to endure abuse, stand for hours in the rain and cold, and suffer from a lack of food.

Анна Бальчінос