3 2014, the beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea, the Russian Federation began to massively violate human rights, including religious rights. Unfortunately, the occupation has deprived Crimea of religious freedom and poses serious risks to the preservation of the ethnic and religious diversity of the peninsula.
The occupation authorities of Crimea are actively telling the whole world how they are building mosques, presenting it as meeting the needs of the Crimean Tatars, when in fact they are used only for propaganda purposes.
Thus, as QIRIM.News reports, on January 4, 2024, a meeting took place between the speaker of the parliament of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, and the so-called mufti of Crimea, Emirali Ablaev, at which the introduction of measures to attract Crimean Tatars into the ranks of the Russian army was discussed.
At the meeting, the occupiers agreed to hold propaganda campaigns in mosques in Crimea every Friday to attract Crimean Tatars to serve in the Russian army, to distribute content in Russian media to disseminate information that supposedly a significant number of Crimean Tatars are ready to participate in hostilities on the side of Russia, distribute specially prepared brochures in the Crimean Tatar language near mosques, promoting contract military service in the Russian army.
Unfortunately, as we have already noted, systemic persecution of Crimean Tatar religious figures continues in the territory of occupied Crimea. In particular, since 2014, the Russian Federation began an active fight against terrorism and extremism. Although in fact this is a tool for suppressing the non-violent resistance of the Crimean Tatars – the indigenous people of Crimea, who profess Islam and opposed the occupation of their homeland.
The most common tool in the fight against Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian activists opposing the actions of the de facto authorities in Crimea has been the initiation of criminal cases under Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Organization of the activities of a terrorist organization and participation in the activities of such an organization). To date, according to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, 107 people are being persecuted in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, 104 of them are the representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
The organization Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami was banned in the Russian Federation by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on February 14, 2003; in Ukraine this organization is not prohibited and can carry out its activities legally. In these cases, the main evidence of involvement in the activities of the organization, and as a consequence in terrorist activities, is the recording of conversations of the accused about religion and the socio-political situation, as well as the testimony of hidden witnesses. Often court hearings in these cases are held behind closed doors.
In addition, numerous searches in mosques in Crimea, detentions of imams and accusations of conducting missionary activity, fines of religious organizations etc are registered.
In general, only sermons agreed with the occupiers are allowed in Crimean mosques…