A court in southern Russia has sentenced two Crimean Tatars to 11 years in prison on charges of participating in a banned Islamic group, the Ukrainian news outlet Graty reported Friday.
The military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced scholar Vadim Bektemirov to 11 years in a maximum-security penal colony and 64-year-old Zekirya Muratov to 11.5 years.
The two Crimean Tatars — a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority which largely opposes Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine — were accused of taking part in Hizb ut-Tahrir, a pan-Islamist group banned in Russia as “terrorist” but legal in Ukraine.
Prosecutors had requested sentences of 12 years for each defendant.
Bektemirov studied at the Faculty of Arabic Language and Literature before he was arrested in 2020. The Memorial human rights group has recognized him as a political prisoner.
Russia has prosecuted dozens of Crimean Tatars since annexing the peninsula, and rights campaigners accuse Moscow of targeting them for their vocal opposition to Russia's annexation of the peninsula.
“At least 332 people are currently being prosecuted in Russia, 89 of whom are being prosecuted in Crimea,” said Sergei Davidis, the head of Memorial’s political prisoners support program.
Last August, Russia sentenced four Crimean Tatars to between 12 and 18 years in prison for taking part in Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Ukraine later accused Russian security agents of detaining dozens of Crimean Tatars.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
