Arrest: On March 27, 2019, during mass searches of Crimean Tatar homes in the Kamyanka and Strohanivka districts of Simferopol, FSB officers detained Akim Ekremovich Bekirov. At that time, he was an active participant in the civic initiative 'Crimean Solidarity,' assisting families of political prisoners, addressing IT security issues, organizing deliveries to pre-trial detention centers, and regularly attending court hearings. Prior to his arrest, Akim had told relatives he noticed surveillance of himself and his home. Russian investigators accused him of participating in the activities of the organization 'Hizb ut-Tahrir,' banned in Russia but legal in Ukraine and most countries worldwide. Human rights defenders emphasized that the case is politically motivated and part of systemic repression against Crimean Tatars.

Sentence: On March 18, 2022, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Akim Bekirov to 14 years of imprisonment. The first 4 years are to be served in prison, with the remainder in a high-security penal colony. Additionally, the court imposed one year of restricted freedom after release. On July 7, 2023, the military appeals court upheld the sentence. Ukrainian human rights organizations stated that the charges were based on covert audio recordings of religious conversations, testimonies of anonymous witnesses, and expert conclusions, while no evidence of preparation or commission of any violent acts was presented.

Akim Ekremovich Bekirov was born on October 18, 1988, in the city of Fergana (Uzbekistan), where his family ended up after the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people. In 1992, the Bekirovs returned to Crimea and settled in the Kurman district. In 2006, he enrolled in the Simferopol College of Construction and Computer Technologies, specializing in 'computer science.' A year later, he entered the Tavrida National University named after Vernadsky in the Faculty of Mathematics. After studying for 4 years, due to family circumstances, he was forced to take an academic leave and start working.

He worked as a builder on various projects. In 2017, he got married, and the family has two minor children. On February 7, 2018, their first child, daughter Sumaya, was born, and on August 25, 2019, after Akim's detention, their second child, son Saifullah, was born.

Akim was an activist of 'Crimean Solidarity,' dealing with IT security issues, assisting with deliveries to pre-trial detention centers, and attending court proceedings. Before his arrest, he noticed surveillance of himself and his home.

After the occupation of Crimea, Akim actively joined the activities of 'Crimean Solidarity.' He assisted families of political prisoners, provided IT support for the civic initiative, attended politically motivated court proceedings, and organized deliveries for detainees. He was well-known among Crimean activists as someone always ready to help. According to human rights defenders, it was because of this civic activity that he came under the special attention of Russian security forces.

On March 27, 2019, after a search, Akim Bekirov was detained and taken to a pre-trial detention center. His case became part of the so-called 'second Simferopol Hizb ut-Tahrir case,' in which over two dozen Crimean Tatars were simultaneously prosecuted. As in most similar cases, the charges were based on covert audio recordings of religious conversations, linguistic expert conclusions, and testimonies of secret witnesses. No evidence of preparation or commission of violent acts was provided by the prosecution.

During the trial, the defense repeatedly emphasized that the case materials did not confirm Akim's involvement in any terrorist activity. Human rights defenders also pointed out that Russian authorities use 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' cases as a tool to persecute Crimean Tatar activists and suppress civil life on the occupied peninsula.

On March 18, 2022, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Akim Bekirov to 14 years of imprisonment. The first 4 years are to be served in prison, followed by a high-security penal colony. Additionally, the court imposed one year of restricted freedom after release. On July 7, 2023, the military appeals court upheld this sentence.

After the trial, he spent some time in Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1 in Novocherkassk, Rostov region, until August 26 of that year, when the political prisoner, along with two other Crimean Tatars — Rustem Seitkhalilov and Asan Yanikov — was transferred to a transit point in Volgograd.

All three prisoners were transported in a special carriage designed for transporting detainees — under harsh conditions, with limited access to air and restricted communication with the outside world.

By September 2023, he was placed in a prison in the Saratov region of Russia, more than 1500 km from Crimea.

In October 2024, it became known that he was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 1 in Tsivilsk, in the Russian Republic of Chuvashia. This move partially reduced the distance to Crimea, but Akim still remains thousands of kilometers from home. Lawyers have repeatedly appealed to the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service to transfer the political prisoner closer to his family's residence, but responses were formal or completely ignored.

Despite imprisonment, Akim maintains contact with his family through correspondence. His wife regularly participates in campaigns supporting Crimean political prisoners, and friends and activists of 'Crimean Solidarity' continue to publicize his case. For many, he remains an example of a person who, even after arrest, has not lost dignity and faith in justice.

As of July 5, 2026, Akim Bekirov continues to serve an unlawful sentence. Ukrainian state institutions and human rights organizations demand his release and consider his case one of many examples of politically motivated persecution of Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea.

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

Photo: Crimean Solidarity.

Date updated: 05.07.2026