Freedom after prison: how Russia released Crimean political prisoners

In occupied Crimea in 2025, at least a few political prisoners were released from Russian detention centers, but some of the releases took place only after the full completion of illegal terms or for humanitarian reasons.

This was stated in the research of the Crimean Human Rights Group.

On February 11, after nine years of imprisonment, the defendants of the so-called "first Bakhchisaray group" - Remzi Memetov, Rustem Abiltarov and Zevri Abseitov- were released. The Crimean Tatars were detained in May 2016 in Bakhchisarai and unjustifiably convicted for allegedly participating in the Hizbut-Tahrir organization.

On February 25, Crimean Tatar Aziz Faizullayev, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2022 for allegedly setting fire to the village council building in Pushkino village, was released. The reason for the persecution, as noted in the review, was his public disagreement with the war against Ukraine. He served his sentence in colony #2 in Kerch.

On April 23, after two and a half years in prison, Crimean Oleksandr Tarapon, convicted under the article on "spreading false information about the Russian army", was released. He was detained in March 2022.

On May 26, a court in the Krasnoyarsk Territory ruled to release him from further serving his sentence due to his serious health condition. However, in October, this decision was canceled, after which he was taken into custody again, taken to the pre-trial detention center in Simferopol, and later transferred to the colony in Minusinsk.

On June 20, Vladyslav Yesypenko, a journalist of the Krym.Realii project of Radio Liberty, was released from the colony in Kerch after completing his illegal term of imprisonment. He was detained in March 2021 and sentenced to five years in prison, although human rights activists linked the case to his journalistic activities.

In October, Crimean Muslim Latifa Malakhova, who was held in a women's colony in Krasnodar Krai, was released after serving her full sentence.

Also in August, the former head of the independent Muslim community "Alushta" Lenur Khalilov was released from an 18-year sentence due to serious cancer. At the same time, in November, he was taken into custody again by a Russian court, despite his health condition.

Human rights activists emphasized that most Crimean political prisoners are not released as part of exchanges, but only after serving their illegal sentences, which indicates systemic human rights violations by the occupation authorities.

In the occupied Crimea and part of the Kherson region, Russian security forces are keeping at least 148 Ukrainians behind bars. The repression is being covered up under fabricated cases of "espionage" and "sabotage."

Анна Бальчінос