Detention: On September 27, 2017, in occupied Yalta, Russian security forces detained Yunus Turapovich Masharipov. According to human rights defenders, unknown individuals attacked him before his detention, after which he was taken to the FSB office in Yalta. Masharipov claimed that while in FSB custody, he was subjected to physical violence, electric shocks, and open flames to extract confessions. He later retracted these confessions in court, stating he incriminated himself under torture.

He was charged under Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Russian Criminal Code for illegal acquisition, storage, and carrying of explosives or explosive devices, and under Part 1 of Article 223.1 for illegal manufacture of an explosive device. The charge under Article 223.1 was later dropped by the court.

Sentence: On November 13, 2018, the so-called Yalta City Court sentenced Yunus Masharipov to 4 years in a general regime colony and a fine of 110,000 rubles. The appellate court upheld the sentence. Later, the cassation court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial.

During the retrial, the court found Masharipov not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder and, on March 3, 2020, ordered compulsory psychiatric treatment in a hospital with intensive supervision. The appeal upheld this decision. According to human rights sources, the cassation court later annulled one procedural decision and sent the case for another appellate review, but the compulsory treatment order remained in effect.

As of September 6, 2026, Yunus Masharipov is in a specialized psychiatric hospital with intensive supervision in the Kamyshinsky district of Volgograd region, Russia.

Yunus Turapovich Masharipov was born on March 14, 1964. He is a Crimean Tatar, resident of Yalta, citizen of Ukraine and Russia, and married. Before his persecution, he was involved in human rights activities. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, he reported human rights violations concerning children and the elderly to human rights organizations.

After the occupation of Crimea by Russian authorities, Masharipov continued his civic and human rights activities.

Following his detention in September 2017, the Russian FSB claimed that Masharipov allegedly manufactured improvised explosive devices and stored explosives. According to the Russian investigation, he purportedly planned to use them to set fire to a forest near Yalta and destabilize the region. Human rights defenders and Masharipov's lawyer contested this version. According to lawyer Oleksiy Ladin, there were serious questions about the method of obtaining evidence, including Masharipov's biological samples.

Masharipov claimed that after his detention, FSB officers tortured him. In a letter written from the pre-trial detention center, he described the use of electric shocks and physical violence, explaining that he agreed to the required confessions due to pain and pressure. During the trial, he retracted these statements.

In 2018, he was sentenced to four years in a colony. However, after a cassation review, the case returned to the first instance court. During the retrial, a second forensic psychiatric examination was conducted. While the first examination found Masharipov capable of being held accountable, the second identified a mental disorder, which the court used as grounds for releasing him from criminal responsibility and ordering compulsory treatment.

On March 3, 2020, the court ordered his compulsory psychiatric treatment. According to ZMINA, Masharipov's case became an example of punitive psychiatry in occupied Crimea. Human rights defenders highlighted contradictions between the two psychiatric examinations, issues with evidence admissibility, and the court's refusal to question experts.

In 2025, Suspilne Crimea reported that by then, Yunus Masharipov had been in a Russian psychiatric hospital for about five years. According to human rights defenders, he had virtually no contact with his family.

As of September 6, 2026, Masharipov remains in a specialized psychiatric hospital with intensive supervision in the Volgograd region, Russia. His case remains an example of the persecution of a Crimean human rights defender, with human rights organizations recording signs of political motivation, violations of the right to a fair trial, and the use of compulsory psychiatry.

Information sourced from: ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, CrimeaSOS, Krym.Realii, Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners, Suspilne Crimea.

Photo: ZMINA.

Last updated: 06.09.2026.