Crimean Tatar political prisoner has severe headaches and vision deterioration
Vadim Bektemirov, a Crimean Tatar sentenced to 11 years, suffered several hypertensive crises in IK-6 in St. Petersburg. He told his family that his vision had also deteriorated and he had unbearable headaches.
 
According to his relatives, IK-6 is predominantly occupied by Muslims of different nationalities, and most of them are kept in SUS, PKT, and SHIZO. Bektemirov himself is also being held in strict conditions.
 
In December 2023, the Crimean Tatar was beaten by prison staff. They also took away his Koran and medicine. Bektemirov was previously transferred from a prison in Yelets (Lipetsk region). The political prisoner's family had not received any news about him for more than a month and did not know where he was.
 
Vadim Bektemirov is a master's student in Islamic studies at the Faculty of Arabic Literature and Humanities. Before his arrest, he held prayers in support of the families of political prisoners and organized assistance to arrested Crimean Tatars.
 
Bektemirov was accused of involvement in the activities of the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia. In Ukraine and most countries of the world, the organization operates without restrictions at the level of national legislation.
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