A Simferopol court has ordered the pretrial detention of 42-year-old Crimean Tatar Nariman Seytaliev. His arrest followed a search of his home in the village of Glubokiy Yar in the Bakhchisaray district. Seytaliev is charged with organizing the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organization banned in Russia.
In addition, Yunus Suleimanov's home was searched in Bakhchisaray. He was subsequently detained. Details about his whereabouts and subsequent actions by law enforcement are unknown. It is also unknown whether Seytaliev's case is connected to the search of Suleimanov's home.
The Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir is designated a terrorist organization in Russia, but human rights activists consider this designation unlawful. The party operates legally in many countries. Human rights activists link the arrests and criminal prosecution of Crimean Tatars in these cases to their civic stance and protests against repression.
