A Russian court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced seven Crimean Tatars to a combined 110 years in prison on terrorism charges that rights activists say were politically motivated. One person was acquitted in the Sept. 16 trial.
The suspects were arrested in October 2017 and May 2018 and accused of terrorism and organizing a terrorist group.
All were activists of Crimean Solidarity, a non-governmental organization that consistently shines a light on human rights abuses on the peninsula, which Russia has occupied since 2014. All were also prosecuted for their alleged connection to Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic political party which Russia considers a terrorist organization.
Of the eight suspects, Marlen Asanov was sentenced to 19 years in a maximum-security prison, Memet Belyalov to 18 years, and Timur Ibragimov to 17 years. All were convicted of organizing a terrorist group.
Seyran Saliyev was sentenced to 16 years, Server Mustafayev received 14 years and Server Zekiryaev and Edem Smailov each got 13 years each. All four were convicted of involvement with a terrorist group.
One of the accused, Ernes Ametov, was surprisingly exonerated, which is the first acquittal in Hizb ut-Tahrir cases in the occupied peninsula.
“Judging by the practice in (the Russian regions of) Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, denying one’s participation in the Hizb ut-Tahrir party was never considered grounds for exoneration,” Crimean Tatar lawyer Lily Gemeji told the Krym.Realii news outlet. “But the system failed and all the work of the legal community, civic and professional journalists and human rights activists bore fruit.”
Dodgy case
According to Gemeji, who is a well-known lawyer and activist based in Crimea, the case relied on secret witnesses, a controversial practice that can be manipulated.
“These people can say anything, and it is almost impossible to verify their words. Any questions by the defense aimed at disproving false information are rejected by the court under the pretext that it may allegedly reveal the witness,” Gemeji said.
She also criticized the linguistic and religious examination of audio tapes, which were used as evidence of the linkage between the detained activists and Hizb ut-Tahrir. The lawyer said that some words from the tapes were translated wrong by the experts. Gemeji believes such falsifications are common occurrences during Hizb ut-Tahrir hearings.
Ukraine reacts
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine released an official statement, condemning the convictions, calling on international allies to impose harsher sanctions on Russia.
“Terrible terms of imprisonment on blatantly fabricated accusations of terrorist activity are a clear indication of how the occupying power actively uses its anti-terrorist legislation to disguise systemic political repression and religious discrimination against members of the Crimean Tatar people,” the ministry said, also emphasizing that the trials took place with many procedural violations.
Activists and supporters of the convicted men took to the streets of Kyiv, holding a rally in solidarity with the Crimean Tatars who have been the victims of the Kremlin repression, reports Krym.Realii. Dozens of people protested on the Independence Square with signs that said “Return fathers to their children” and “Crimean Tatars are not terrorists,” calling for the immediate release of the prisoners.
Islamic party
Hizb ut-Tahrir, or the Islamic Party of Liberation, is an international fundamentalist political organization, whose goal is the re-establishment of an Islamic Caliphate to unite the Muslim community around the world. Though it is often referred to as a radical Islamic movement, it officially opposes the use of violence.
Although Hizb ut-Tahrir remains legal in most European countries, including Ukraine, it has been recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia since 2003. Since the annexation of Crimea, Russian security forces have been terrorizing Crimean Tatars, raiding their homes and prosecuting hundreds of men for alleged terrorism and extremism. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, 148 Crimean Tatars have been persecuted since the annexation, with 30 of them currently in prison and 47 in pre-trial detention centers.
