Russian court continues consideration of case of pseudo-terrorists from Crimea

In Russia, the trial of five Crimean Tatars accused of involvement in an alleged terrorist organization is underway. The defense demanded a review of the evidence and pointed to violations of the defendants' rights.

This was reported by Crimean Solidarity.

On May 27, the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don held a regular hearing in the case of five Crimean Tatars accused of having links to the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization banned in Russia. The defendants include activists, religious figures and Crimean residents who have previously been persecuted for their civic position.

The defense filed several motions, including access to the audio recordings involved in the case. Out of 39 fragments, only one contains the voice of the accused Ali Mamutov. The lawyers questioned the validity of the charges and demanded the geolocation data of the accused during the alleged wiretapping, as well as the interrogation of the expert who conducted the religious examination. The court partially satisfied these demands.

The next hearing is scheduled for June 19.

The case began in March 2024 after massive searches in the Dzhankoy and Bakhchisaray districts of Crimea. Then nine Crimean Tatars were detained, including activists, imams and parents with many children. Some of them have serious health problems, including former imam Remzi Kurtnezirov, who was transferred to house arrest due to his critical condition.

All the defendants denied any involvement in terrorism and reported pressure from security forces, denial of medical care and other violations of their rights.

Recently, in Russia, six Crimean Tatars were sentenced to long prison terms - from 11 to 14 years - on trumped-up charges. They were accused of allegedly participating in a terrorist organization and preparing for a violent seizure of power.

This is the so-called Hizb ut-Tahrir case. All six were detained in January 2023 after searches in the Dzhankoy district of Crimea and later transferred to Rostov-on-Don.

Анна Бальчінос