Detention: On November 7, 2023, Russian security forces detained Khalil Kurtamet, a Crimean Tatar and resident of Novooleksiivka, Henichesk district, Kherson region. He was charged with alleged participation in the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan, which the Russian Federation has designated as a 'terrorist organization'.

Sentence: On October 16, 2024, the Russian-controlled Henichesk District Court in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region sentenced Khalil Kurtamet to 8 years in a strict regime colony. The first year of his sentence is to be served in prison, with the remainder in a strict regime correctional colony.

Khalil Apasovich Kurtamet is a member of the Crimean Tatar community, an entrepreneur, public figure, and religious leader from Novooleksiivka, Henichesk district, Kherson region.

Khalil Kurtamet was born on June 20, 1966. He has spent most of his life in Novooleksiivka, one of the largest centers of Crimean Tatar settlement on mainland Ukraine. Before the Russian occupation of part of the Kherson region, he was engaged in entrepreneurial activities. According to human rights defenders and journalists, he worked in the field of automotive maintenance and repair and owned a tourist facility, the 'Ai-Petri' hotel on the Arabat Spit. Additionally, Kurtamet led the local Muslim religious community 'Islam', was respected among fellow villagers, and actively supported the development of the Crimean Tatar community in the region.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 changed the life of the Kurtamet family. After the occupation of part of the Kherson region, Russian military and special services began to seize control of local residents' property. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, the 'Ai-Petri' hotel owned by Khalil Kurtamet was effectively taken over by the occupation authorities. He was never a public political figure, did not engage actively on social media, and did not make loud political statements. Therefore, human rights defenders emphasize that the charges against him lack convincing grounds and are part of a systematic campaign of persecution against Crimean Tatars.

The situation became particularly tragic after the arrest of his son, Appaz Kurtamet. In July 2022, Appaz was detained by Russian security forces at the 'Chonhar' checkpoint and later sentenced to seven years in prison for allegedly financing an illegal armed group through a money transfer of 500 hryvnias to an acquaintance. After his son's disappearance, Khalil actively joined efforts to find him and draw attention to the young political prisoner's case.

On November 7, 2023, FSB officers detained Khalil Kurtamet in occupied Novooleksiivka. A criminal case was opened against him for participation in an illegal armed formation. The Russian investigation claimed that in 2015, he allegedly participated in the activities of the Noman Çelebicihan battalion. According to the occupation authorities, evidence of his guilt was that he allegedly provided his accommodation facilities for individuals associated with the battalion.

Another so-called piece of evidence was documents seized during searches. Among them, investigators found papers related to the establishment of an Administrative Services Center in Novooleksiivka, which mentioned the Crimean Tatar Resource Center. Human rights defenders noted that these documents did not indicate any illegal activity and were related to entirely legal public processes that took place before the region's occupation.

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

Photo: ZMINA.

Update date: 16.07.2026.