The Isagorsky District Court in Arkhangelsk has denied a request for the release of Lenur Khalilov—convicted in the "Hizb ut-Tahrir" case—from a penal colony on health grounds. The prisoner has been diagnosed with liver cancer and requires treatment in a specialized medical facility. This was reported by Ukrainian journalist Anton Naumlyuk, who covers the persecution of Crimean Tatars.

According to Naumlyuk, the court justified its decision by stating that "the formal existence of a medical condition—included in the list of illnesses that preclude the serving of a sentence—does not constitute an unconditional basis for releasing the convicted individual, Khalilov, from his prison sentence." The court also cited video footage which, in its assessment, shows that Khalilov is capable of moving around and taking care of his own needs; he is "conscious, responsive, and oriented."

"‘Formal existence’... It has been a long time since I encountered such a concentration of judicial cynicism," Naumlyuk remarked regarding the court’s findings.

Previously, human rights advocates stated that Khalilov is barely able to move on his own and that the prescribed treatment is failing to halt the progression of his cancer. Furthermore, Naumlyuk reported that the political prisoner contracted hepatitis C while undergoing a tooth extraction at a pre-trial detention center in Rostov.

Khalilov served as the head of the independent Muslim community "Alushta" and was active in public life: he organized religious holidays and prayer services, and assisted families with the paperwork required for burials. He was detained on June 10, 2019, following searches in Alushta, alongside acting imam Ruslan Nagayev, entrepreneur Eldar Kantimirov, and Ruslan Mesutov, one of the community’s founders. On August 16, 2021, the Southern District Military Court sentenced Khalilov and Mesutov to 18 years in prison, while Nagayev received a 13-year sentence and Kantimirov a 12-year sentence. The court identified the first two as organizers of an alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir cell, and the others as its members.

In February 2025, Khalilov was transferred from the Vladimir Central prison to Penal Colony No. 1 in Arkhangelsk. Shortly thereafter, he was admitted to the prison hospital, where he remained until mid-July. During his time there, he was diagnosed with cancer.

In August 2025, the court granted Khalilov a release from serving his sentence due to his health condition, and he returned home to Crimea. However, in October, the prosecutor appealed this decision. In November, individuals in plainclothes arrived at Khalilov’s home and took him away. By the end of December 2025, he had been returned to the penal colony in Arkhangelsk.