Detention: On February 14, 2019, FSB officers conducted mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Krasnohvardiiske district of temporarily occupied Crimea. Following the search, Arsen Abkhairov was detained along with Rustem Emiruseinov and Eskender Abdulganiev. All three were charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly participating in the activities of the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Russia considers terrorist. In Ukraine, this organization's activities are not prohibited. Human rights organizations have regarded this case as politically motivated persecution of Crimean Tatars.

Sentence: On November 3, 2020, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Arsen Abkhairov to 13 years of imprisonment. The first two years were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a strict regime colony. The appellate court later upheld the sentence.

Arsen Remziyevich Abkhairov was born on October 12, 1985, in the city of Bekabad, Tashkent Region (Uzbekistan), to a family of Crimean Tatars deported from Crimea by Soviet authorities in 1944. When he was seven, his family returned to their homeland. In 1992, they settled in the village of Amurske, Kurman (Krasnohvardiiske) district of Crimea, where he spent his childhood and youth. Arsen initially attended a local school and later a gymnasium in the village of Zhovtneve.

After completing his education, he remained in his native district, engaged in entrepreneurial activities, worked in agriculture, raised livestock, and traded agricultural products. Friends and acquaintances remember him as a hardworking, calm, and responsible person who devoted much time to his family. In October 2015, Arsen married. Together with his wife Azize, they raised two children, a daughter Medine and a son Emir.

After the occupation of Crimea by Russia, Arsen, like many Crimean Tatars, began supporting the families of political prisoners, attending court sessions, and engaging with civic initiatives documenting human rights violations on the peninsula. Human rights organizations later took his case under constant monitoring.

On February 14, 2019, a search was conducted at Abkhairov's house. Afterward, he was detained and taken to Simferopol. Russian investigators claimed he was allegedly involved in the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Meanwhile, human rights advocates emphasized that the case materials lacked evidence of preparation or commission of violent acts. The charges were primarily based on covert audio recordings of religious conversations, expert conclusions, and testimonies of secret witnesses.

From the outset, the case was accompanied by human rights defenders from Crimean Solidarity, the Human Rights Center ZMINA, and other organizations. They repeatedly stated that Russia uses anti-terrorism legislation as a tool for persecuting Crimean Tatars and that the application of Russian criminal law in the occupied territory contradicts international humanitarian law.

On November 3, 2020, the court in Rostov-on-Don issued a guilty verdict — 13 years of imprisonment. After the sentence took effect, Arsen was transferred to Russian prison No. 2 in Yeniseysk, Krasnoyarsk Krai. Serious health problems began there. Due to varicose veins, he constantly suffered from pain and swelling in his legs. The lawyer reported that the political prisoner needed surgery, but the institution's administration did not provide adequate medical care.

An additional problem was an error in the court documents. Due to incorrect clarification of the sentence, Arsen's prison term was calculated incorrectly, and he spent about two and a half months longer there than he should have. The defense repeatedly appealed to the court to correct this error, but the process dragged on for several months. Human rights defenders called this situation another example of the violation of the rights of an illegally convicted Crimean Tatar.

In early 2024, Arsen was transferred to correctional colony No. 8 in Ulan-Ude (Republic of Buryatia), approximately seven thousand kilometers from Crimea. Such a distance effectively deprived his family of the opportunity to visit regularly. His wife Azize twice appealed to the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia to transfer her husband closer to home, but received refusals. Later, the court found these refusals unfounded, but even after that, Russian authorities took a long time to execute the court decision.

In 2025, after many appeals and court proceedings, Arsen was eventually transferred to colony No. 3 in the Republic of Chuvashia. Although it is also far from Crimea, the distance to his family was reduced by almost three times. The political prisoner's wife noted that this at least partially eased the possibility of maintaining contact with her husband, although regular visits remain challenging due to high travel costs.

Arsen Abkhairov's case is continuously highlighted by Ukrainian human rights organizations. They emphasize that his persecution is part of Russia's systemic campaign against Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea. Human rights defenders pay special attention to the violation of the right to a fair trial, inadequate medical care, illegal transfers thousands of kilometers from home, and the violation of the right to family life.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Crimean Solidarity, CrimeaSOS, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukrinform

Photo: Crimean Solidarity.

Updated: 04.07.2026.