Crimean Tatar imam fined for “illegal missionary activity”
The imam of the village of Privetnoye, Kirov region of Crimea, Ismail Yurdamov, was fined 8 thousand rubles on charges of “illegal missionary activity.” The judge refused to question defense witnesses - parishioners of the mosque where the imam conducts prayers.
On December 13, 2023, officers from the Center for Specialized Execution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to see Yurdamov. They read out the search warrant, which stated the imam’s participation in the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in Russia. The phones of all members of his family were taken away, and the police did not answer questions for clarification. Then Yurdamov was taken to the police department, where an administrative report was drawn up. The imam did not agree with the accusation.
According to Yurdamov’s daughter Gulsum, her father regularly spoke out in defense of unjustly arrested Crimean Tatars. It is also known that the accused performed marriage ceremonies and duas, and was respected by residents of the village and other localities.
