Crimean journalist Amet Suleimanov's health is deteriorating in a Russian prison
The health of Crimean Citizen journalist Amet Suleimanov, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Russia despite needing a heart valve replacement, is rapidly deteriorating in a Russian prison.
His wife Lilya Lyumanova, who visited Amet a few days ago, told Crimean Solidarity about this.
Amet Suleimanov has chronic diseases of the heart, lungs, and joints.
According to Lilya Lyumanova, the man lost a lot of weight in prison, has developed shortness of breath, pain in his lungs, and leg swelling. Amet has also been experiencing pain in his eyes.
"The situation with his diseases is not good. We need to identify the reason, maybe it is rheumatism or something to do with pressure and blood vessels. It's not just his vision deteriorating there [in prison], but something happening to his eyes physiologically," the journalist's wife said.
In March 2024, the Frunze District Court of Vladimir refused to release Amet Suleimanov from prison despite the fact that his diseases are included in the list of health conditions incompatible with imprisonment. The political prisoner and his lawyers filed an appeal against the judgement.
Amet Suleimanov's story
Amet Suleymanov is a citizen journalist for the Crimean Solidarity group who reported on the searches and detentions that Crimean Tatars have been subjected to after Russia occpuied Crimea in 2014. He and other members of the third Bağçasaray group were convicted for alleged involvement in the political party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is outlawed in Russia.
On October 29, 2021, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Amet Suleimanov to 12 years in prison under Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of a terrorist organization) for alleged involvement in the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, according to the Russian FSB.
On April 5, 2023, Amet's sentence came into effect and he was taken away from his home to serve his sentence.
Amet Suleimanov suffers from arterial and mitral valve issues. He was recommended a heart valve replacement surgery. His health continued to deteriorate in the PTDC. Suleimanov's heart disease is included in Russia's list of health conditions that should prevent a person from being in custody. Amet's relatives are convinced that living behind bars can be fatal for him.
On August 29, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said that Amet Suleimanov, who is in urgent need of surgery (a heart valve replacement), has been moved from the Simferopol PTDC-2 to a prison in Russia despite his health deteriorating.
On September 4, 2023, the PACE called on the Russian authorities to release the Crimean citizen journalist Amet Suleymanov, who has been transfered from the Simferopol PTDC-2 to a Russian prison despite his health problems.
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