Two Crimean journalists moved to a prison in Rostov

Crimean Solidarity citizen journalists Aziz Azizov and Rustem Osmanov, as well as the activists Memet Liumanov and Mustafa Abduramanov, on trial in the "sixth Bağçasaray Hizb ut-Tahrir case", were moved to prison No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don (Russia), reports the civil society initiative Crimean Solidarity, citing Memet Liumanov’s wife Anna Korniychuk.

The Crimean political prisoners were moved on November 5. Before that, they were held in the Simferopol pre-trial detention center No. 2.

According to Rustem Osmanov’s wife Elmaz, usually the families would receive letters from their husbands in the Simferopol prison every Friday.

“One Friday there were no letters. Later we realized that they were most likely being transferred,” Elmaz said.

The first court hearing in the "sixth Bağçasaray group" case will take place on November 25 at the Southern District Military Court.

On March 5, 2024, Russian police searched the homes of 10 Crimean Tatars in the Bağçasaray and Canköy districts of Crimea. On the same day, a court imposed a measure of restraint on four of them: Memet Liumanov, Aziz Azizov, Rustem Osmanov, and Mustafa Abduramanov. They were sent to a pre-trial detention center.

Later, the court ruled to arrest the previously detained Canköy city and Canköy district residents Enver Khalillayev, Nariman Ametov, Ali Mamutov, the imam of the Lobanovo village mosque Vakhid Mustafayev, and Arsen Kashka.

Former imam Remzi Kurtnezirov was placed under house arrest due to his numerous illnesses. All ten arrestees were charged with participating in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is outlawed in the Russian Federation. Many of the detainees have three or more underage children.