Crimean Court extends detention of persons involved in Hizb-Ut-Takhrir case for 2 months

On July 7, the Kremlin-controlled Supreme Court of the annexed Crimea decided to extend the arrest until September 12 to two other persons involved in Bakhchisarai’s “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”: Zevri Abseitov and Enver Mamutov, a correspondent for Radio Svoboda in Crimea reports.

Previously, the court passed a similar decision on two other defendants of the case: Ramzi Memetov and Rustem Avilatov.

Sessions and announcements of court decisions took place in a closed session. More than 30 people came to support the Bahchisarites detained in the court building, Crimean activist Osman Arif reported on Facebook.

In early May, the court extended the arrest warrant for all four detainees of Bakhchysarai’s case of “Hizb ut-Tahrir” until July 11, 2017.

On May 12, 2016, Russian security forces conducted a series of searches in the houses of Muslim Crimean Tatars and in the local cafe in Bakhchisarai. As a result, four Bakhchisarai residents were arrested and accused of terrorism: Zevri Abseitov, Ramzi Memetov, Rustem Avilatrov and Enver Mamutov. They were arrested by Russian FSB employees on suspicion of participating in the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was recognized in Russia by a terrorist organization.

The defenders of the arrested and convicted in the “Hizb ut-Tahrir” case, the Crimeans consider their persecution motivated by a religious sign. Emil Kurbedinov, a lawyer, said that Russian law-enforcement authorities, mainly Crimean Tatars, as well as Ukrainians, Russians, Tajiks, Azerbaijanis and Crimean citizens of different ethnic backgrounds who profess Islam, are persecuted in this case.

Representatives of the international Islamic political organization Hizb ut-Tahrir call their mission the unification of all Muslim countries in the Islamic caliphate, but they reject the terrorist methods of achieving this goal and say they are being subjected to unfair persecution in Russia. The Supreme Court of Russia banned Hizb ut-Tahrir in 2003 by putting on the list 15 associations called “terrorist.” Moscow is trying to impose this ban on the occupied part of the territory of Ukraine, in the Crimea, although in Ukraine this organization operates legally.

After the Russian annexation in Crimea, massive searches of independent journalists, public activists, activists of the Crimean Tatar national movement, members of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, as well as Crimean Muslims suspected of having links to the organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir, became more frequent.