Six Crimean Tatar political prisoners have had their arrest extended
The activists of the Crimean Solidarity movement from Bakhchisarai, Seidamet Mustafayev, Eldar Yakubov, Abdulmedzhit Seytumerov, Ruslan Asanov, Ametkhan Umerov and Remzi Nimetulayev, have been left in pretrial detention again until February 23, 2025. This decision was made by the Southern Military Court in Rostov.
Lawyer Emil Kurbedinov reminded the court that none of his clients are accused of any violent actions. He also noted that all political prisoners have positive references at their place of residence, and the prosecutor read them out during the hearing. The standard wording was used to justify keeping the defendants in pretrial detention, stating that they “may abscond or influence the course of the investigation.” The defense emphasized that the court did not accept any arguments to choose a different measure of restraint for the accused.
The defendants were arrested at the end of August 2023. They had previously been detained several times during rallies in support of other arrested Crimean Tatars. They are accused of participating in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in the Russian Federation. In Ukraine and other countries, the party operates legally, and its members are not subject to prosecution.
