Detention: On April 18, 2016, FSB officers conducted searches in the homes of six Crimean Tatars and detained Refat Alimov as part of the so-called 'Yalta Hizb ut-Tahrir case'. Along with him, Emir-Usein Kuku, Muslim Aliyev, Vadim Siruk, Arsen Dzhepparov, and Inver Bekirov were also detained. Human rights defenders consider the case politically motivated.

Sentence: On November 12, 2019, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don unlawfully sentenced Refat Alimov to 8 years in a high-security penal colony and 1 year of restricted freedom after release. He was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of a terrorist organization') and Part 1 of Article 30, Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code ('preparation for violent seizure of power'). On June 25, 2020, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the sentence without changes. On April 17, 2024, Refat Alimov was released after serving the full unlawfully imposed sentence.

Alimov Refat Mametovich was born on October 28, 1991, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. In 1992, following the outbreak of hostilities in Tajikistan, his family returned to Crimea. Initially, the family lived in Gurzuf, and since 1995 they settled in the village of Krasnokamenka near Yalta.

In 1998, Refat started attending Krasnokamenka Secondary School. During his studies, he actively participated in theater clubs, attended karate classes, and a dance group. After school, he studied at the Ukrainian-Russian College of Humanities and Economics in computer technology, and later graduated from the Crimean Republican Vocational College as an auto mechanic. He worked as a sales representative in commercial companies. He was not married.

On April 18, 2016, FSB officers searched the Alimov family home. After the search, Refat was detained and taken into custody. The Russian investigation claimed he allegedly participated in the activities of the Islamic organization 'Hizb ut-Tahrir', which Russia considers terrorist, although it is not banned in Ukraine. According to human rights defenders, the charges were based on secret witnesses, linguistic examinations, and surveillance of religious conversations without any evidence of preparation or commission of violent acts.

On November 12, 2019, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don delivered a guilty verdict to all six defendants in the 'Yalta case'. Refat Alimov received one of the shortest sentences in this case — 8 years of imprisonment, while other defendants were sentenced to 12–19 years in a high-security colony. During the appeal, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the sentence. Human rights organizations emphasized that the trial did not meet the standards of fair justice, and the case was an example of persecution of Crimean Tatars for religious and civic reasons.

Refat Alimov served his sentence in Correctional Colony No. 16 in Salavat (Republic of Bashkortostan, Russian Federation). Family and lawyers regularly reported difficulties with visits, the significant distance of the colony from Crimea, and the challenges of maintaining contact. Despite international calls for his release, Russia forced him to serve the full unlawfully imposed term.

On April 17, 2024, Refat Alimov was released after eight years of unlawful imprisonment and returned to Crimea. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Crimean Solidarity, and the Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea emphasized that his release occurred only after serving the full unlawful sentence, and the case remains an example of systemic political repression against Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea.

As of July 24, 2026, Refat Alimov remains free after serving the full unlawfully imposed sentence. His case continues to be used by Ukrainian and international human rights organizations as one of the most well-known examples of politically motivated persecution of Crimean Tatars by the Russian Federation.

Information used from open sources: Crimean Solidarity, CrimeaSOS, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Photo: CrimeaSOS.

Date updated: 24.07.2026.