A seriously ill Crimean Tatar political prisoner was transferred to the hospital
Servet Gaziyev, a 66-year-old Crimean Tatar political prisoner, was hospitalized in the medical unit located at Penal Colony No. 5 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. His condition worsened due to a critical spike in blood pressure.
Since his arrest in March 2019, the pensioner has repeatedly complained of poor health, which has been steadily worsening. A stroke he suffered in 2022 was a severe ordeal. Furthermore, that same year, guards, according to his lawyers, beat Gaziyev at Rostov Tuberculosis Dispensary No. 19, resulting in a dislocated collarbone. The violence was precipitated by his refusal to vote in the elections.
In 2022, Servet Gaziyev received a 13-year prison sentence in the second Simferopol Hizb ut-Tahrir trial. The prosecution insisted on his membership in the banned organization and his plotting a violent takeover of power. As the only evidence of his guilt, investigators presented audio files containing discussions of political and religious topics. However, no weapons or ammunition were found during searches of Gaziyev or the other defendants.
In essence, the Crimean Tatar is being persecuted for his mere affiliation with the Hizb ut-Tahrir party. Although the organization is banned and designated as terrorist in Russia, its activities are completely legal and unrestricted in most other countries.
