Eighth birthday behind bars: political prisoner Vadim Siruk turns 34

February 20, 2023

On February 20, Vadim Siruk, a political prisoner involved in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, turned 34. He is forced to celebrate his eighth birthday in the dungeons of the FSB, where he and other defendants in the case were illegally placed by the occupying authorities of the peninsula. The team of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center sincerely congratulates Vadim Siruk on his birthday. We wish you a speedy release and reunification with your family and loved ones, good health, patience, indomitable will and well-being!

We remind you that Emir-Huseyn Kuku, Vadim Siruk, Muslim Aliev, Enver Bekirov, Arsen Dzhepparov and Refat Alimov are accused of participation in the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in the Russian Federation. They are charged with Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the activities of a terrorist organization and participation in it). Later they began to impute Article 278 of the Criminal Code (Forced seizure of power or forcible retention of power). On October 11, during a court session in the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don, the prosecutor requested 13 to 20 years in prison for the so-called Yalta Hizb ut-Tahrir case defendants. On November 12, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don announced the sentence. Muslim Aliev and Enver Bekirov were sentenced to 19 and 18 years in a maximum security penal colony, Emir-Huseyn Kuku and Vadim Siruk – to 12 years, Refat Alimov – to 8 years, Arsen Dzhepparov – to 7 years.