The health of the defendant of Bakhchysarai “Hizb ut-Tahrir case” Zevri Abseitov has deteriorated. He requested medicines for hypertension, liver, and kidneys. His wife Fatma Abseitova notified the Crimean Tatar Resource Center about this.
"My husband in general never complains about anything. He says that his health is fine. But, in fact, he suffers from high blood pressure and it can happen at any time. Recently, Zevri asked me to send him medications for hypertension, liver and even the kidneys, as well as heating belts”, said his wife.
Fatma Abseitova noted that Zevri has lost weight since he cannot eat the food that is given in the colony. According to her, when he was in punitive confinement, she did not have the right to send parcels, "only recently did I got a chance to send a two-kilo parcel”.
"According to his lawyer, Zevri was sent twice to punitive confinement for 15 days without a reason. But after numerous complaints, he was released. When another defendant in the same case Rustem Abiltarov was transferred to this colony, he was no longer placed in punitive confinement”, explained his wife.
Fatma also said that the Ukrainian consul tried to get access to her husband, but he was not allowed to, as they are all considered citizens of the Russian Federation.
As the consul notedhimself, the Ukrainian side will do everything possible to allow visits to the political prisoners.
"Tomorrow my son and I are headed to visit Zevri. The children miss him a lot and currently are preparing gifts for their dad. Actually, it was very difficult to choose which one of our children to bring, but since the youngest did not see him for a very long time, I decided to take him”, added the spouse.
Previously, on May 12, 2016, Russian security forces conducted mass searches in the occupied Crimea in the households of the representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people. As a result, Zevri Abseitov, Remzi Memetov, Rustem Abiltarov, and Enver Mamutov were detained. They were accused of participating in the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was banned on the territory of the Russian Federation. Everyone was charged with article 205.5 ("organizing the activities of a terrorist organization and participating in it"), and later article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Forced seizure of power or forced retention of power").
After the detention, the men were placed in a pre-trial detention center in Simferopol, where they spent 2 years on fabricated and unfounded charges.
After two years of investigation, the “case” was transferred to the North Caucasian District Military Court. On May 22, 2018, the detained Crimean Tatars were illegally transferred from a pre-trial detention center in Simferopol to a pre-trial detention center in Rostov-on-Don.
On December 24, 2018, the North Caucasian District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced the defendants in the first Bakhchisarai “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”. Enver Mamutov was sentenced to 17 years in prison in a maximum-security penal colony and the restriction of liberty for 1 year and 6 months, Zevri Abseitov, Remzi Memetov and Rustem Abiltarov to 9 years in a maximum-security penal colony and a restriction of liberty for 1 year.
In their last statement, all defendants in the “case” noted that they did not consider themselves guilty, and also pointed to the “politically-motivated nature” of the criminal case.
On July 11, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation reduced the sentence of the defendants: Enver Mamutov from 17 years to 16 years and 9 months, and Zevri Abseitov, Remzi Memetov and Rustem Abiltarov from 9 to 8 years and 9 months.