The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has reported on four Crimean Tatar women facing prosecution by Russian security forces in occupied Crimea in connection with the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. The women are Esma Nimetullayeva, Nasiba Saidova, Elviza Aliyeva, and Fevziye Osmanova. This was reported by the media outlet ZMINA.

All four women have been taken into custody following searches of their homes on October 15, 2025. USCIRF notes that they are being prosecuted due to their religious beliefs and alleged ties to the religious organization.

Esma Nimetullayeva is a mother of five and the wife of Crimean Tatar political prisoner Remzi Nimetullayeva. During a search of her home in Bakhchysarai, security forces looked for religious literature classified as banned under Russian law. Nimetullayeva was subsequently detained.

Searches were conducted at the homes of three other women on the same day. Nasiba Saidova lived in the village of Kholmovka in the Bakhchysarai district; she was a student at a pedagogical college and worked at a kindergarten. Elviza Aliyeva, from the village of Dolinne in the Bakhchysarai district, was a student and worked as a sales clerk at a bakery in Simferopol. Fevziye Osmanova worked in a family-owned shop; her home is located in Orlovka, near Sevastopol.

Following their detention, all four women were charged with alleged involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir. On October 16, the occupation-controlled Kyivskyi District Court in Crimea remanded the women to custody for two months. The hearings were held behind closed doors. Nimetullayeva is charged with organizing the activities of an organization banned in Russia, while the others are charged with participating in it.

The USCIRF also points to a broader pattern of persecution against Crimean Tatars in such cases. The commission’s annual report notes that Russian authorities are extending their system of restrictions on religious freedom to the occupied territories of Ukraine: banning specific religious groups, conducting searches, detaining believers, and confiscating religious literature.

According to the commission, hundreds of Crimean Tatar Muslims remain imprisoned for long terms on charges linked to alleged involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir. Russian authorities cite grounds for prosecution that include, among other things, the possession of religious literature and the discussion of religious and political issues.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Islamic organization that Russia designated as a terrorist group in 2003. Following the occupation of Crimea, Russian authorities extended their legislation to the peninsula, and Crimean Tatars began facing prosecution in cases involving alleged ties to the organization.