During the occupation of Crimea, the Russian invaders persecuted 122 people in the “Hizb ut-Tahrir cases”, of whom 8 have fully served their illegal “sentences” in Russian prisons.
This was reported by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC).
“The Hizb ut-Tahrir case is an endless 'conveyor belt' of repression in Crimea. Thus, according to the CTRC, 122 people are being persecuted in the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”, with 119 of them being Crimean Tatars. 79 people are serving their sentences in Russian prisons and colonies. 33 are held in pre-trial detention centers, 2 are under house arrest, 8 have been released with restrictions imposed,” the statement says.
The CTRC noted that during the Russian occupation of Crimea, 19 waves of arrests were carried out on charges of involvement in the so-called “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”. The last wave of detentions took place in February 2025, when the occupiers apprehended five men, leaving seven children without parental care. In total, 252 children of Crimean political prisoners are growing up without a father due to political repression.
The accusations in these “cases” are based on the testimony of “undisclosed witnesses”, the conclusions of “experts” cooperating with the FSB, the presence of “banned literature”, and audio recordings allegedly recording religious and political discussions.
The defendants in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case are given extremely harsh “sentences” (up to 19 years in a maximum security colony) and spend the first years in prisons with the most severe conditions.
None of these political prisoners were released as part of the exchanges. They are forced to serve their illegal “sentences” in full, the human rights activists added.
These restrictions are designed to make the civilian life of political prisoners as difficult as possible after serving their illegal sentences. For example, people under these restrictions cannot find a full-time job, receive medical care or even social benefits.
Russia uses all the tools of the repressive machine to exemplify punishment for the manifestation of a pro-Ukrainian position in Crimea.
“Hizb ut-Tahrir” is a political Muslim organization that has been operating in more than 50 countries, including Ukraine, for 70 years. The purpose of the organization is to return Muslims to the Islamic way of life and to comply with the requirements of the Islamic religion.