Detention: On September 6, 2023, Russian FSB officers searched the home of Crimean Tatar Eduard Aidirovich Asanov. Following the search, he was detained and accused of participating in an illegal armed formation—the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion. According to the Russian investigation, he allegedly was part of the battalion from 2016 to 2018 and failed to inform Russian authorities of his cessation of participation upon returning to Crimea. Eduard denied the charges, explaining that while he had been to the administrative border with Crimea, he was not a serviceman of the battalion and did not participate in its activities. Human rights defenders emphasized that the case is politically motivated and part of a campaign to persecute Crimean Tatars for any connections to the civil blockade of Crimea.

Sentence: In January 2022, he was convicted under paragraph 'v' of part 2 of article 115 of the Russian Criminal Code ('Intentional infliction of minor harm to health with the use of weapons or objects used as weapons') and sentenced to 200 hours of community service. On July 22, 2024, the occupation Supreme Court of Crimea found Eduard Asanov guilty under part 2 of article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in an illegal armed formation') and sentenced him to 8 years and 6 months of imprisonment. The first three years are to be served in prison, with the remainder in a strict regime colony.

Eduard Aidirovich Asanov was born on February 24, 1969. He is a Crimean Tatar, has been connected to Crimea all his life, and worked in the public catering sector. There is little biographical information about him in open sources. Human rights defenders deliberately do not disclose details about his family or personal life to avoid additional risks for his relatives. It is known that before his arrest, he led an ordinary life, worked, and was not a public figure.

After the occupation of Crimea, Eduard, like many other Crimean Tatars, maintained connections with compatriots involved in the civil blockade of the peninsula. These circumstances later became the basis for criminal prosecution. The Russian investigation claimed that in 2016 he allegedly joined the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion, serving as a cook, guard, and on duty at checkpoints. Eduard categorically disagreed with these accusations. He stated that he visited the administrative border for personal reasons, occasionally entering the field kitchen to warm up or talk with acquaintances, but was never a member of the battalion. During the trial, even prosecution witnesses could not confirm seeing him with weapons or performing military functions.

On September 6, 2023, FSB officers searched Eduard Asanov's home, after which he was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center. The Russian investigation insisted that he voluntarily joined the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion—a volunteer formation created during the civil blockade of Crimea in 2015. Meanwhile, the defense pointed out that the investigation failed to provide convincing evidence of Eduard's involvement in armed activities. The charges were mainly based on testimonies of certain individuals and investigators' claims, which were not supported by material evidence.

Human rights defenders emphasized that Russia has been using accusations of involvement with the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion as a tool to persecute Crimean Tatars for several years. The battalion was established on mainland Ukraine, and Russia declared it illegal only after the occupation of Crimea. Ukrainian human rights organizations stress that applying Russian criminal law to Ukrainian citizens in occupied territory violates international humanitarian law.

In January 2022, he was convicted under paragraph 'v' of part 2 of article 115 of the Russian Criminal Code ('Intentional infliction of minor harm to health with the use of weapons or objects used as weapons') and sentenced to 200 hours of community service.

On July 22, 2024, the occupation Supreme Court of Crimea issued a guilty verdict. Eduard Asanov was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months of imprisonment, with the first three years to be served in prison and the remainder in a strict regime colony. After the verdict, the human rights project 'Political Prisoners. Memorial' recognized him as a political prisoner. In their conclusion, experts noted that the prosecution failed to prove his participation in an illegal armed formation, and the case has signs of politically motivated persecution.

There is almost no information in open sources about which institution Eduard was transferred to after the verdict came into force and under what conditions he is being held. This further indicates that his case received significantly less coverage than those of many other Crimean political prisoners. Meanwhile, human rights organizations continue to monitor his situation and include him in the list of Ukrainian citizens unlawfully imprisoned by Russia.

As of July 5, 2026, Eduard Asanov continues to serve his sentence unlawfully in the Russian Federation. Ukrainian human rights defenders emphasize that his criminal prosecution is yet another example of using Russian law to suppress any manifestations of disloyalty on the occupied peninsula. They call on the international community to increase pressure on Russia and seek the release of all unlawfully imprisoned Ukrainian citizens.

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

Date of update: 07/05/2026.