Detention: On May 12, 2016, a search was conducted at Rustem Abiltarov's home in Bakhchisarai, after which he was arrested along with three other Crimean Tatars – Remzi Memetov, Zevri Abseitov, and Enver Mamutov. All four were charged with involvement in the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir: according to the investigation, they allegedly studied relevant literature, agitated the population, and recruited new members. Additionally, they were accused of 'preparing for a violent seizure of power by an organized group' – part 2 of article 35, part 1 of article 30, and article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Sentence: On December 24, 2018, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Rustem Abiltarov to 9 years in prison. On July 11, 2019, the Supreme Court of Russia reviewed the sentence and reduced the term for three defendants (Abiltarov, Memetov, Abseitov) by three months — to 8 years and 9 months. Rustem Abiltarov served his sentence in high-security colony No. 1 in Stavropol. On February 11, 2025, he was released along with Remzi Memetov and Zevri Abseitov after serving the full term.

Rustem Seyranovich Abiltarov was born on September 28, 1979. At the age of fourteen, he returned with his parents to Crimea, to the city of Bakhchisarai. He studied at a local school and later obtained a profession at the Bakhchisarai Professional Construction Lyceum as a carpenter-joiner. He additionally mastered several other construction specialties: electrician, drywall master, plumber. In Bakhchisarai, he was known as a skilled craftsman in finishing and construction work.

Rustem Abiltarov is married and has four children – three sons and a daughter. He married his wife Elzara six months after they met. Their eldest son Bilal was born later, followed by their second son Edem in 2007, and three years later, their long-awaited daughter Fatime. At the time of his arrest in 2016, Rustem's four children were still minors.

During imprisonment, Abiltarov's health deteriorated. In 2019, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Lyudmyla Denisova, reported that he suffers from chronic diseases – pyelonephritis and rheumatoid arthritis – and had previously suffered a micro-myocardial infarction. Despite this, he was not provided with adequate medical care, which violates international standards for the treatment of prisoners.

Rustem's father did not live to see his release – he died in custody, never seeing his son free. During these nine years of imprisonment, Rustem lost his father, and his children grew up without their father. The fourth defendant in the case, Enver Mamutov, received a much harsher sentence: 16 years and 9 months, and remains in custody.

Hizb ut-Tahrir has been banned in Russia since 2003 but is legal in Ukraine and most countries worldwide. Human Rights Watch describes the situation in Crimea after 2014 as repressive, indicating that the fight against 'terrorism' is used to justify arbitrary actions against innocent people. Human rights defenders classify the case of Abiltarov and his co-religionists as politically motivated.

Information used from open sources: Ukrainska Pravda, Crimean Solidarity, ZMINA, TSN, Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Photo: Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Date of update: 07/03/2026.