Crimean Tatar imam cleared of charges of “illegal missionary activity”

A court in Crimea dropped all charges against the imam of the village of Privetnoye, Kirovsky district, Ismail Yurdamov, under the article on illegal missionary work. In January he was fined eight thousand rubles.

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 family members 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.

In court, the accused explained that for many years he had performed some religious rituals in the village of Privetnoye at the request of the residents of the village and the current imam. The latter often delegated his powers due to his state of health and age. The judge accepted the appeal and granted it in full.

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