On March 2, Marlen Asanov, a political prisoner, a defendant in the «Hizb ut-Tahrir case», turned 47 years old. It is already his seventh birthday that he is forced to meet in the FSB, where he and other defendants in the «case» were illegally placed by the occupation authorities of the peninsula. The staff of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center heartily congratulates Marlen Asanov on his birthday. We wish him a speedy release and reunification with his family and loved ones, good health, patience, indomitable will and prosperity!
We would like to remind that on October 11, 2017 in the city of Bakhchisaray, the occupants conducted mass searches in 6 houses of Crimean Tatars – Marlen Asanov, Seiran Saliev, Timur Ibragimov, Memet Belyalov, Ernes Ametov, Server Zekiryaev. All of them were detained. They were charged under Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation «Participation in the activities of an organization that is recognized as a terrorist organization in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation».
On May 21, 2018, in the occupied Crimea, Russian security forces conducted searches in the homes of activists of the public association «Crimean Solidarity», as a result of which Server Mustafayev and Edem Smailov were detained. They are also accused of participation in the activities of organization «Hizb ut-Tahrir» banned in the territory of the Russian Federation.
In February 2019, a criminal case under Article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power) was opened against eight defendants of the second Bakhchisaray «Hizb ut-Tahrir case» – Marlen Asanov, Seyran Saliev, Timur Ibragimov, Memet Belyalov, Ernest Ametov, Server Zekiryaev, Server Mustafayev and Edem Smailov.
On March 5, it became known that two defendants of the second Bakhchisaray «Hizb ut-Tahrir» case – Timur Ibragimov and Memet Belyalov – were toughened the charges from part 2 of article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation («participation in the activities of a terrorist organization») to part 1 («organization of activities of a terrorist organization»).
On September 16, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don announced the verdict to the defendants of the second Bakhchisaray «Hizb ut-Tahrir case». Marlen Asanov was sentenced to 19 years in a strict regime colony, Memet Belyalov – to 18, Timur Ibragimov – to 17, Seyran Saliiev – to 16, Server Mustafayev – to 14, Server Zekiryaev and Edem Smailov – to 13. Ernes Ametov was found not guilty and released in the courtroom, and then he was detained again.
