Five Crimean Tatars convicted in Rostov for allegedly preparing terrorist attacks

Five Crimean Tatars were sentenced by a Russian court to strict regime colonies for terms ranging from 14 to 20 years. Human rights activists call the case of alleged involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir politically motivated and claim violations during the investigation.

This was reported by Crimean Solidarity.

The Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don announced the sentences to five Crimean Tatars from the Dzhankoy district of the occupied Crimea in the case of the so-called "Crimean Muslims". The defendants - Ali Mamutov, Enver Khalilayev, Nariman Ametov, Vokhid Mustafayev and Remzi Kurtnezirov - were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment in a maximum security colony.

Remzi Kurtnezirov, the former imam of the mosque in the village of Lobanovo, received the most severe sentence - 20 years in prison. Nariman Ametov was sentenced to 15 years, Enver Khalilayev - 14.5 years, and Vokhid Mustafayev and Ali Mamutov - 14 years in prison.

The relatives of the convicts stated that the court unexpectedly accelerated the process and actually moved from debates to the announcement of the verdict in one day, and the session was held in the shortest possible time.

Russian security forces opened the case against the Crimean Tatars after mass searches in the Bakhchisaray and Dzhankoy districts of Crimea on March 5, 2024. The detainees were accused of participating in the activities of the Islamic political partyHizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia as a terrorist organization, although it operates legally in Ukraine and many other countries.

According to the defense, the case file contained no evidence of terrorist plotting, weapons or explosives. The prosecution was based mainly on audio recordings from the mosque and the testimony of an anonymous witness. The defendants claimed violations during searches and investigative actions.

The sister of the convicted Crimean activist and journalist Iryna Danilovych also spoke about the terrible conditions in which she is being held in the Russian colony. According to her, the employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation "are deliberately bringing the activist to death".

Анна Бальчінос