Crimean Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Russia Transferred to Colony in Vladimir

A Crimean man, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Russia, is being transferred to a colony in Vladimir. He was detained during mass searches in Crimea in February 2022, along with three other residents of the peninsula.

According to Krym. Realii, Crimean Ansar Osmanov, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, is being transferred from SIZO No. 3 in Novocherkassk, Rostov region, to a colony in Vladimir.

I'm in Volgograd now, and tomorrow I'm likely to go to Vladimir. There is no possibility to call here via Zonatelecom," Osmanov said.

He was arrested after searches conducted by Russian security forces in February 2022 in several districts of Crimea. At that time, four people were detained: Ansar Osmanov, Marlen Mustafayev, Ernest Seitosman and Ametkhan Abdulvapov.

All were accused of participating in Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic political party that Russia considers a terrorist organization, although it is not banned in most countries.

On June 16, 2023, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Osmanov to 20 years in prison.

Also in a Russian colony, a Crimean Tatar activist and political prisoner was recently placed in a punishment cell for three days and later transferred to a cell block. His wife claimed bias on the part of the administration and called for the protection of her husband's rights and demanded his release.

Meanwhile, the verdict against a political prisoner from Kherson was upheld - she was accused of espionage and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. Recently, the Court of Appeal held a hearing in the case of Irina Gorobtsova, who was convicted by the Russian occupiers on trumped-up espionage charges. The court did not grant the appeal and upheld the sentence. The woman is being transferred to Crimea, where she was staying before her detention.

At the end of March, human rights activists, together with international organizations, presented evidence of Russia's systematic war crimes in the occupied territories, including Crimea, to the UN. According to the Media Initiative for Human Rights, the terrorist country illegally detains at least 1,908 civilians.

Анна Бальчінос