Arrest: On February 17, 2021, Russian security forces conducted mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in Bilohirsk, Bakhchisarai, Simferopol, Sevastopol, and the Soviet District in occupied Crimea. Among those detained was Crimean Tatar activist Lenur Seydametov. Along with him, Timur Yalkabov, Azamat Eyupov, Yashar Shikhametov, Ernes Ibragimov, and Oleg Fedorov were also detained. After the search, Seydametov was taken to the FSB office in occupied Crimea and later placed in a pre-trial detention centre. The Russian side charged him under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly participating in the activities of an organization recognized as terrorist under Russian law, specifically Hizb ut-Tahrir. He was also accused of allegedly preparing to violently seize power under Part 1 of Article 30, Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Sentence: On March 22, 2022, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Lenur Seydametov to 13 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony, including 4 years in prison and 1 year of restricted freedom.

Lenur Lumanovich Seydametov was born on June 11, 1986, in Bulungur, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan. His family belonged to the Crimean Tatar people, deported by Soviet authorities from Crimea in 1944.

Seydametov received a secondary education. He then studied for three years at a college specializing in radio electronics and television equipment.

In 2012, Lenur returned independently to Crimea, the historical homeland of his family. There, he married and started a family. The couple had three children.

Before his arrest, Seydametov worked in various jobs. He was a market vendor, construction worker, and dental technician. Since 2020, he worked as a loader and provided related services in Simferopol.

Lenur also participated in the public life of the Crimean Tatar community. He assisted during public events and supported Crimean Tatar families persecuted by Russian occupation forces.

On February 17, 2021, Russian security forces came to his house with a search warrant. The mass searches that day were part of another wave of persecution of Crimean Tatars under the so-called Hizb ut-Tahrir cases. After the search, Seydametov was detained and taken into custody.

Later, he and other case defendants were transferred to Rostov-on-Don, where the trial took place. Ukrainian human rights advocates emphasize that Russia persecutes Crimean Muslims on charges of involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir, although the organization is legal in Ukraine and most countries worldwide.

On March 22, 2022, a Russian court sentenced Seydametov to 13 years in a strict regime colony. After the verdict, he was transferred to Russia. On January 10, 2023, Lenur Seydametov was moved from the Novocherkassk pre-trial detention centre to the FK-2 prison in Yelets, Lipetsk Region.

During his imprisonment, he developed serious health problems. In 2023, doctors diagnosed him with a Baker's cyst in the knee joint, causing severe pain and difficulty sitting or lying for long periods. He also needed surgery on the lower spine. He waited about a month and a half for hospitalization. In November 2023, he underwent surgery to remove the cyst on his spine. ZMINA reported that medical assistance was provided with significant delays.

After the surgery, health issues persisted. Seydametov continued to complain of severe pain in his legs and back, as well as hearing loss in one ear.

At the end of April 2025, after completing his prison term, instead of being transferred to a colony, Seydametov was taken to pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in Voronezh. According to his wife, the Russian side planned to extradite him to Uzbekistan after serving his sentence. The Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea emphasized the illegality of such treatment of a Ukrainian citizen.

As of September 9, 2026, the last confirmed location of Lenur Seydametov by Ukrainian human rights and state sources is pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in Voronezh, from where, according to the political prisoner's wife, the occupiers plan to extradite him to Uzbekistan.

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

Photo: CrimeaSOS.

Last updated: 09.09.2026.