Crimean Muslim woman released after four years in prison

Crimean Muslim <b>Latifa (Nina) Malakhova</b> has been released. She was released after serving the full term of imprisonment - four and a half years - in a women's colony located in the Krasnodar Territory.

This was reported by Crimean Tatar journalist and activist Lutfiye Zudiyeva.

Her husband, <b>Ruzil Yapparov</b>, who was detained with her, remains in custody. The couple was detained by the FSB on February 14, 2021 in Kazan and transferred to Crimea together with their one-month-old daughter Melissa.

On July 7, 2021, the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Latifa Malakhova to four and a half years in prison for "assisting a terrorist organization". The investigation claimed that the funds the couple raised online were used to support the Islamic State. The convicts themselves insist that their charitable activities consisted of raising funds for the construction of mosques, wells, and to help children, women and refugees in Africa.

The woman said that the first year and a half in detention was very difficult:

"It was hard to get used to it morally and physically. Then I pulled myself together - sports, reading, proper nutrition. But my health is still undermined."

During her imprisonment, she lost 12 kilograms and reported stomach problems, constant headaches, and a weakened immune system. She was not subjected to physical pressure or torture in the colony, but was twice placed in a punishment cell for praying at work until she managed to negotiate prayers during breaks.

After her release, Malakhova spent some time with her husband' s relatives in Bashkiria, and then moved to a rented apartment in Simferopol with her daughter, who had been living with her mother during her imprisonment.

Currently, Malakhova remains under restrictions that will remain in force for another year. She is forbidden to leave the city, stay outside the house from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., attend public events, change her place of residence or work without the permission of the inspection.

The Crimean Muslim woman is also obliged to check in twice a month and be prepared for unannounced inspections.

Катерина Глушко