A court rejected a Crimean Tatar political prisoner's request to be transferred to a penal colony closer to home

The Supreme Court of Crimea dismissed the appeal of human rights activist Riza Izetov. He had sought to challenge the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service's refusal to transfer him to a penal colony located near Crimea.

Lawyer Nazim Sheikhmambetov, representing Izetov, stated that the distance from Crimea to Yakutsk, where the Crimean Tatar previously served his sentence, is over nine thousand kilometers. This created insurmountable difficulties for his mother, who suffers from cancer and is unable to visit her son.

Riza Izetov is currently being held in Vladimir Prison. He was transferred there after his sentence conditions were tightened. Previously, Izetov was convicted of "malicious violation" three times in a Yakut penal colony and placed in solitary confinement, including for not wearing proper dress code and for falling asleep during a hypertension attack.

In 2022, Riza Izetov was sentenced to 19 years on charges of organizing the activities of the Hizb ut-Tahrir party, which is banned in Russia. However, it is legal in many countries.

Human rights activists have repeatedly stated that criminal cases brought in Crimea against Crimean Tatars under articles related to this party actually pursue a specific goal: suppressing peaceful political and religious activity, criticism of the authorities, and protests against repression.

Последние новости
Council of Europe Calls for Review of Anar Mammadli’s Sentence
Human rights
Council of Europe Calls for Review of Anar Mammadli’s Sentence
11 September 2026

Representatives of the Council of Europe have called on Azerbaijani authorities to release human rights defender Anar Mammadli, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Specifically, PACE rapporteur on political prisoners Azadeh Rojhan asserts that his prosecution is political in nature and that fundamental principles of a fair trial were violated during the proceedings.

Pashinyan: Armenia to continue seeking alternative gas sources regardless of Russian gas price
Politics
Pashinyan: Armenia to continue seeking alternative gas sources regardless of Russian gas price
11 September 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the country will continue to seek alternative sources of gas, regardless of whether the cost of Russian supplies changes.

Memorial has recognized a Romanian national—detained in Abkhazia and convicted of espionage in Russia—as a political prisoner
Human rights
Memorial has recognized a Romanian national—detained in Abkhazia and convicted of espionage in Russia—as a political prisoner
11 September 2026

The Memorial Human Rights Center has designated Romanian national Adrian-David Kercho a political prisoner; he is currently serving a 15-year sentence in a maximum-security penal colony for espionage on behalf of Ukraine. The Krasnodar Regional Court handed down the verdict in March 2026, and an appeal in June upheld both the sentence and the criminal classification. Human rights defenders consider the case politically motivated and are calling for his release.

Georgian Interior Ministry Opens Case Against Blogger Over Profane Comment About Simonyan and Solovyov
Politics
Georgian Interior Ministry Opens Case Against Blogger Over Profane Comment About Simonyan and Solovyov
11 September 2026

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated administrative proceedings against journalist Tornike Razmadze. The agency states that he is accused of insulting the country's Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, on social media. The case was opened under Article 166 (petty hooliganism) and Article 173 (disobedience to police orders), which carry penalties of a fine of up to 3,000 lari or up to 20 days in detention. The case is scheduled to be heard by the Tbilisi City Court on September 29.