Detention: On March 27, 2019, Russian security forces conducted large-scale searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in Simferopol and surrounding areas. Murtaza Seyran was detained following the search. On this day, a group of Crimean Tatar activists was detained and later grouped into the so-called 'second Simferopol group' in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. Seyran was placed in custody and held in a pre-trial detention centre.

Sentence: On January 11, 2023, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Murtaza Seyran to 13 years of imprisonment. The first two years were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a strict regime colony. After release, the court imposed an additional year of restricted freedom.

He was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for 'participation in the activities of a terrorist organization' and under Part 1 of Article 30 and Article 278 for allegedly preparing to seize power by force. On September 11, 2023, the Military Court of Appeals upheld the sentence.

Murtaza Seyran was born on November 27, 1983, in Uzbekistan to a family of Crimean Tatars deported by Soviet authorities. In 1990, at the age of seven, he returned to Crimea with his family. They settled on the peninsula, where Seyran continued his education in a school in the Alushta district.

After completing nine grades, he entered the Simferopol Auto Transport Technical School. He graduated in 2002 with a specialty in auto mechanics. He worked in his field and engaged in construction work, which later became a primary focus of his professional activity. Murtaza Seyran is married and has two children.

Following the occupation of Crimea by Russia, Seyran became actively involved in the public life of the Crimean Tatar community. He regularly attended court hearings in politically motivated cases, supported families of Crimean Tatars persecuted by Russian security forces, and visited search sites to support detainees and their relatives. According to the Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, this civic activity contributed to his subsequent persecution.

On February 27, 2017, Seyran was previously detained near the home of Crimean Tatar activist Marlen Mustafayev during a search. He received five days of administrative arrest under an administrative protocol. According to his wife, before the criminal prosecution, unknown individuals conducted photographic surveillance and monitored the family.

On March 27, 2019, after another large-scale search, Seyran was detained again. Russian investigators accused him of alleged participation in the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization, which Russia has designated as terrorist. He was also charged with preparing to seize power by force. Ukrainian human rights defenders view this persecution as part of a systematic campaign against Crimean Tatars, whom Russian authorities target for religious, civic, and human rights activities.

In 2021, the trial began. Due to the large number of defendants, the case was divided into separate groups. According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, the trial involved repeated presentation of case materials and witness testimonies. On January 11, 2023, the court sentenced Seyran to 13 years of imprisonment.

On September 11, 2023, the Military Court of Appeals in Vlasikha upheld the sentence. Following this, Seyran was transferred to Russian penal institutions.

According to human rights defenders, he is held in the FKU 'Prison of the GUFSIN of Russia for the Krasnoyarsk Territory' in the city of Minusinsk.

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

Photo: Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Update date: 07.09.2026.