Crimean citizen journalist Ernes Ametov moved to a prison in Russia

Crimean citizen journalist Ernes Ametov who was sentenced to 11 years in prison, has been moved to the penal colony No. 12 in Russia's Vologda region.

He told his wife Eleonora Ametova about this through the Russian prison communication system "Zonatelecom", writes "Crimean Solidarity".

Ernes Ametov. Photo by Crimean Solidarity

"He is currently in quarantine and is waiting to be transferred to the camp. It turned out to be a long distance away – 2,000 kilometers from Crimea," the journalist's wife said.

Ernes Ametov was arrested on October 11, 2017 together with Seyran Saliev, Marlen Asanov, Timur Ibrahimov, Server Zekiryaev and Memet Belyalov after mass searches in Crimea. The Muslim man spent the three years of investigations and trials in detention facilities in Crimea and Rostov-on-Don.

In 2020, he was acquitted and released in the courtroom due to lack of evidence. This was the first such instance in the "Hizb ut-Tahrir cases" not only in Crimea, but also in Russia. However, in 2022, the Court of Appeal reviewed the Southern District Military Court's ruling and sent the case for a new trial.

In December 2022, Russia's Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don tried Ametov's case and sentenced him to 11 years in a high-security prison.

On November 30, 2023, the appellate military court in Vlasykha upheld Ernes Ametov's sentence.