Arrest: On February 11, 2016, officers of the FSB of the Russian Federation and other security forces of the occupying authorities conducted a search at the home of Crimean Tatar human rights defender Emir-Usein Kuku in Koreiz, near Yalta. Following the search, he was detained and charged with participating in the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia. Prior to this, in April 2015, Kuku had been abducted and beaten by FSB officers due to his human rights activities.

Sentence: On November 12, 2019, the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Emir-Usein Kuku to 12 years in a high-security penal colony, followed by one year of restricted freedom. On June 25, 2020, the Military Court of Appeal in Vlasikha, Moscow region, upheld the sentence.

Emir-Usein Kemalovich Kuku was born on June 26, 1976, in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, into a family of a veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement, Kemal Kuku. His childhood was marked by the ongoing struggle for the right of Crimean Tatars to return to their historical homeland after the 1944 deportation. From a young age, Emir-Usein was involved in discussions about restoring the rights of his people.

In 1993, the family returned to Crimea and settled in Koreiz on the southern coast. There, Emir-Usein completed his schooling and began building a life on the land to which Crimean Tatars had long dreamed of returning. After school, he entered Kherson State Technical University, graduating in 2000 with a degree in management. The following year, he earned another degree in accounting from the Kharkiv Institute of Finance and Economics.

Emir-Usein's professional career was mainly in economics and management. He held managerial economic positions in private companies and worked for a time in local government structures. Simultaneously, he actively participated in the public life of the Crimean Tatar community. Kuku took part in cultural and memorial events, helped organize traditional Crimean Tatar celebrations, worked on preserving historical memory, and supported projects to preserve national heritage.

Human rights work played a significant role in his life. After Russia's occupation of Crimea in 2014, Emir-Usein joined the Crimean Human Rights Contact Group. The organization documented cases of enforced disappearances, unlawful detentions, and other human rights violations on the peninsula.

After starting this work, he came under the scrutiny of Russian special services. In April 2015, FSB officers detained him on his way to work. After a search at his home, Emir-Usein was taken for interrogation, during which he was severely beaten. According to the human rights defender and his family, the beating resulted in kidney and spinal injuries. Despite numerous appeals, Russian authorities refused to open a case against the FSB officers.

In the following months, Kuku was regularly summoned for interrogations and pressured to cooperate with Russian special services. According to his wife, Meryem Kuku, security officers effectively offered him to cease his human rights activities and collaborate with them. When he refused, a new phase of persecution began against him.

On February 11, 2016, another search was conducted at Kuku's home. He was detained as part of the so-called 'Yalta Hizb ut-Tahrir case.' Along with him, other Crimean Muslims were arrested.

During his time in the pre-trial detention center and court proceedings, Kuku repeatedly declared his innocence. On his 42nd birthday, June 26, 2018, he went on a hunger strike to protest the politically motivated case. The hunger strike lasted 25 days and significantly deteriorated his health. During this time, he lost about nine kilograms. He later ended the protest at the request of his wife and family.

On November 12, 2019, a Russian court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Emir-Usein Kuku to 12 years in a high-security penal colony, followed by one year of restricted freedom. Kuku's case has been mentioned in European Parliament resolutions, United Nations documents, and statements by Ukrainian authorities.

Following the sentence, he was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 16 in Salavat, Republic of Bashkortostan, over two thousand kilometers from Crimea. During his imprisonment, the family had only a few short visits. His wife Meryem and children Bekir and Sofiye regularly participate in human rights campaigns advocating for his release.

Emir-Usein's health has been a serious concern in recent years. According to his family and human rights defenders, he suffers from vision, heart, kidney, and musculoskeletal problems. In 2023, he underwent intestinal surgery. Additionally, he has a growth in the knee pit causing severe pain and hindering normal movement. The family has repeatedly reported inadequate medical care and systematic non-compliance with doctors' recommendations by the colony administration.

Information sourced from: Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Suspilne Crimea, Radio Liberty / Crimea.Realii, Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Photo: Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Last updated: 15.07.2026.