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On the 12th of May 2016 the Russian security forces conducted mass searches in the dwellings of representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people in the occupied Crimea. As a result of the aforementioned, Zevri Abseitov, Remzi Memetov, Rustem Abiltarov and Enver Mamutov were detained. They were accused of membership in the prohibited in Russia Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Everyone was charged with article 205.5 (organization of the activities of a terrorist organization and membership in it), and later article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violent seizure of power or violent retention of power).
After the detention, the men were transferred to the Simferopol detention facility, where they were detained for 2 years on entirely fabricated and unreasonable charges.
After 2 years of investigation, the so-called case was transferred to the North Caucasian District Military Court. On the 22nd of May 2018 the detained Crimean Tatars were illegally transferred from the Simferopol detention facility to the Rostov-on-Don detention facility.
On December the 24th of December 2018 the North-Caucasian District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don passed a sentence to the defendants of the first Bakhchisarai Hizb ut-Tahrir case. Enver Mamutov was sentenced to 17 years in jail and consequent 1 year and 6 months of restraint, Zevri Abseitov, Remzi Memetov and Rustem Abiltarov were sentenced to 9 years in jail and 1 year of restraint each.
Speaking about their finalword, all those involved in the so-called case claimed that they did not consider themselves guilty, and also pointed to the political nature of the case.
On the 11th of July 2019, while considering the appeal, the High Court of the Russian Federation reduced the previous sentence by three months: Enver Mamutov was sentenced to 16 years and 9 months, and Zevri Abseitov, Remzi Memetov and Rustem Abiltarov to 8 years and 9 months.
On the eve of the court session, the Crimean Tatar activists came to protest on Red Square in Moscow against the persecution of the Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea. Participants demonstrated the posters calling to stop ethnic and religious persecution and discrimination as well as unlawful detentions of the people and the lack of freedom of speech. After the start of the event, the Russian security forces detained 7 people. And on the day of the court session itself, more than 50 people who came to support their compatriots were detained.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center regards the decisions of the occupational courts and the courts of the Russian Federation in general as illegal, politically motivated and criminal.
These unlawful and unjust decisions target dissent itself and all those who disagree with the illegal actions of Russia in Crimea. Considering the aforementioned, the occupying force demonstrates its willingness to fight against an alternative viewpoint, as well as against the religious and political beliefs of people of the peninsula.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center underlines that the trial of Enver Mamutov, Zevri Abseitov, Remzi Memetov and Rustem Abiltarov is an example of xenophobic violence towards the indigenous people of Crimea and the mean of intimidation. The decisions of the courts demonstrate the everlasting persecution and injustice towards the Crimean Tatars.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center demands the abolition of the sentence of the first Bakhchysarai Hizb ut-Tahrir case and the immediate release of all other political prisoners.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center calls on the international community, international human rights organizations to increase pressure on the Russian Federation in general and its occupying forces in Crimea in particular in order to stop and prevent political persecution and to abolish the aforementioned court decisions.