From 12 to 18 years in a colony – the sentence to 4 Crimean Tatar political prisoners was announced by court in the Russian Federation

On August 16, the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don (Russia) sentenced four Crimean Tatar political prisoners to 12-18 years in prison.

UA reports this citing the “Crimean Solidarity”.

They are the participants of the Alushta “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”: Ruslan Nagaev, Eldar Kantimirov, Lenur Khalilov and Ruslan Mesutov. The Crimean Tatars were sentenced as follows:

• Ruslan Mesutov – 18 years of imprisonment in a maximum security colony with restriction of liberty for 1 year after release;
• Lenur Khalilov – 18 years of imprisonment in a maximum security colony with restriction of liberty for 1 year after release;
• Eldar Kantimirov – 12 years of imprisonment in a maximum security colony with restriction of liberty for 1 year after release;
• Ruslan Nagaev was sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security penal colony with a restriction of liberty for 1 year after his release.

Such a sentence was condemned by the Ukrainian ombudswoman Liudmila Denisova. She noted that according to the court decision, Crimean Tatars will be in prison for the first two years, and after serving their sentences Lenur Khalilov and Ruslan Mesutov will be restricted in freedom of movement and free choice of residence for a year and half, and Ruslan Nagaev and Eldar Kantemirov – for a year.

“I condemn the illegal decision taken by the Southern District Military Court against our fellow citizens. By prosecuting Crimean Tatars and other illegally detained citizens of Ukraine, the occupying country violates international law, the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights” – the ombudswoman noted.

Crimean Tatars were detained in the occupied Crimea in June of 2019, after Russian security forces searched their homes. All of them were accused of being involved in the activities of the Islamic political party “Hizb ut-Tahrir”, which is recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia and is banned.

Ruslan Nagaev was engaged in business activities in Alushta, Lenur Khalilov was the chairman and founder of the Muslim community “Alushta”, and Ruslan Mesutov worked in it as a security guard. Eldar Kantimirov graduated from Kyiv Islamic University, and is an expert in Arabic.

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