"Prison. Siberia. 16 hours on my feet": imprisoned Crimean journalist in a letter to a rights advocate

Remzi Bekirov. Photo by Mumine Salieva on Facebook

Crimean human rights advocate Mumine Salieva posted the letter she received from the imprisoned Crimean citizen journalist Remzi Bekirov to Facebook.

"I received a letter from a caring family friend and colleague who is in a Russian prison 6,000 kilometers from Crimea, but keeps all of us in his thoughts – the Crimean journalist Ramzi Bekirov," the human rights advocate wrote.

As for himself, Bekirov notes, "there's not much to tell."

"Prison. Siberia. 16 hours on my feet. Groundhog Day mode. Namaz, Dua, Quran, books, Ren TV, talking to cellmates. Praise the Almighty, I have plenty of time. I try to spend it usefully," writes Ramzi Bekirov.

In June 2023 it was reported that the Crimean Tatar political prisoner and citizen journalist Remzi Bekirov was moved to prison No. 2 in Yeniseysk, Krasnoyarsk region. The court ruled that he must spend five years there and serve the remaining term in a high-security prison.

In March 2019, Russian security forces in Crimea searched the homes of Crimean Tatar activists, including Crimean Solidarity representatives. A total of 24 people were detained, including citizen journalists Osman Arifmemetov, Rustem Sheikhaliev, and Remzi Bekirov. On March 27 and 28, 2019, the Russian court in Simferopol arrested all three detainees.

The Russian authorities accused Bekirov of involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is outlawed as a terrorist organization in Russia (but is legal in Ukraine).

The occupation court sentenced Remzi Bekirov, a correspondent for "Crimean Solidarity" and the online outlet "Grani.ru", to 19 years in prison.

Human rights center "Memorial" has declared the 24 Crimean Tatar activists detained by Russian security forces on March 27, 2019 in Crimea political prisoners.