Crimean Tatar political prisoner denied medical care

Crimean Tatar Edem Smailov, serving a 13-year sentence in Correctional Colony No. 1 in Kostroma, has been unable to receive adequate medical care for almost a year. Since his transfer to the colony in January 2025, his request for a dental consultation has remained unanswered.

Previously, in Correctional Colony No. 7 in the Kostroma Region, Smailov was placed on medical records for pyelonephritis, deteriorating vision, and other health issues.

Upon arrival at Correctional Colony No. 1, the Crimean Tatar was immediately placed in a cell-type unit (PKT). Smailov has also been held in strict conditions in Correctional Colony No. 7 since February 2024. He was also regularly placed in solitary confinement and a punishment cell. According to Smailov's wife, the penalties are imposed on him to prevent the possibility of parole.

On September 16, 2022, the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Edem Smailov to 13 years in prison. He was charged with membership in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is designated a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation. However, he denied guilt and claimed he was being persecuted for his religious beliefs.

Последние новости
Georgia and Armenia will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup
Sport
Georgia and Armenia will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup
29 April 2026

Georgia and Armenia will host the 2029 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The national football associations of both countries confirmed this information, which was received at the FIFA Council in Vancouver on April 28.

Azerbaijani human rights activists condemned Karimli's ongoing arrest
Human rights
Azerbaijani human rights activists condemned Karimli's ongoing arrest
29 April 2026

The Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Ali Karimli expressed strong protest on the occasion of the 61st birthday of the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), which the politician is celebrating in the pretrial detention facility of the State Security Service. The human rights activists accused the authorities of exerting pressure on Karimli for years, including the revocation of his passport and periodic arrests.

The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament declared that joining the EU following the Ukrainian or Moldovan model is unacceptable
Politics
The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament declared that joining the EU following the Ukrainian or Moldovan model is unacceptable
29 April 2026

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, stated that Georgia's territorial integrity is inviolable and will not be subject to negotiation for EU membership. He criticized the "Ukrainian and Moldovan-style" approaches to European integration, calling them alien to Georgia.

NIYSO: Three young men kidnapped in Chechnya and forced to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense
Human rights
NIYSO: Three young men kidnapped in Chechnya and forced to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense
29 April 2026

The Chechen opposition movement NIYSO announced the arrest and subsequent deployment to Ukraine of three young men from the village of Tangi-chu in the Urus-Martan district of the Chechen Republic. Fellow villagers reportedly asked for prayers for them.