Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has commented on Armenia’s plans to begin preparing an application to join the European Union, saying Yerevan would ultimately fail to secure EU membership but could seriously damage its relations with Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Shaban Umerov, sentenced to 18 years in prison, complained that he was placed in a punishment cell in the Verkhneuralsk prison in the Chelyabinsk region because he fell asleep “at the wrong time.” The Crimean Tatar suffers from health problems - he has high blood pressure.
Relatives of another Crimean Tatar prisoner, Ruslan Nagaev, sentenced to 13 years, reported that the diet of this prison constantly includes dishes with pork.
Nagaev and Umerov are political prisoners from Crimea; they are being persecuted in the Alushta and second Simferopol cases for participation in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir. In Russia it is recognized as a terrorist organization. Participants are sentenced to real terms based on the fact that they met in apartments and read religious literature.