Crimean Tatar activist held for 10 months in penal colony

Crimean resident Bilal Adilov, sentenced to 14 years in prison in Russia, has been <b>held in a solitary confinement</b> facility for about 10 months. He is in the colony No. 1 in the city of Kyzyl (Republic of Tyva).

This was reported by 'Krym.Realii' with reference to the testimony of the prisoner's wife Gulnara Adilova.

<b>Adilov</b> 's wife was not informed of the reasons for his detention in the temporary detention center, although, according to Russian legislation, prisoners can be held in such conditions for no more than six months. According to his wife, her requests to the colony remain unanswered.

Bilal Adilov is a Crimean Tatar activist and father of six children. Prior to his arrest, he was actively involved in public life, attending courts and searches, and helping the families of political prisoners.

He was detained by Russian security forces in March 2019 during one of the largest searches of Crimean Tatar homes. At that time, four other Crimean Muslims were also detained. All of them became defendants in the so-called second Simferopol group of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

In May 2022, a court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Bilal Adilov to <b>14 years in prison</b>.

As a reminder, since the annexation of Crimea, 122 people have become defendants in the "cases of Crimean Muslims". According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, 83 people are being held in Russian prisons, 27 are in pre-trial detention centers, and three are under house arrest. Eight have been released, and one person died in Russian custody. The charges are based on the testimony of 'hidden witnesses', the conclusions of 'experts' cooperating with the FSB, and banned Islamic literature found during searches.

The CTRC calls on the international community to increase pressure on Russia to stop the persecution and release all political prisoners, as well as to impose personal sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations in occupied Crimea.

Катерина Глушко