Detention: On February 5, 2025, Russian security forces searched Mirzaali Tazhibayev's home, detained him, and took him to the FSB office in Simferopol. He was one of five Crimean Tatars detained that day as part of a new wave of repression against Muslims in Crimea.

Sentence: As of July 22, 2026, there is no information on the sentence. The Russian Federation accuses Mirzaali Tazhibayev under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code (“participation in the activities of a terrorist organization”), claiming he was allegedly a member of the organization “Hizb ut-Tahrir.” Ukrainian and international human rights defenders emphasize that the case is politically motivated and part of systematic persecution of Crimean Tatars.

Mirzaali Mirzaalimovich Tazhibayev was born on May 11, 1980. He lived in the village of Yarke Pole, Kirovskyi district, occupied Crimea. By profession, he is a cook. Before his detention, he led a peaceful civilian life, worked in his field, was respected among his fellow villagers, and participated in the life of the local Muslim community.

On the morning of February 5, 2025, around four o'clock, FSB officers conducted simultaneous searches in the homes of five Crimean Tatars in different regions of Crimea. A group of about ten officers came to Mirzaali Tazhibayev's house. According to his wife Gulnara, the officers thoroughly searched the house but found nothing indicating illegal activity. At the end of the search, they claimed to have found two religious brochures that the family had never seen before. His wife is convinced that this literature was planted during the investigative actions.

After the search, Mirzaali was detained and taken to Simferopol. Along with him, Emir Kurtnazirov, Abibulla Smedlyaev, Rustem Mustafayev, and Bakhtiyar Ablaev were also detained. The next day, the occupation court imposed a preventive measure in the form of detention for all five. Human rights defenders note that the case is another example of using Russia's anti-terrorism legislation to persecute Crimean Tatars who have committed no acts of violence.

According to human rights organizations, Mirzaali Tazhibayev is accused solely of involvement in the activities of the Islamic political party “Hizb ut-Tahrir,” which is legal in Ukraine and most countries worldwide. The evidence base in such criminal cases traditionally relies on secret witnesses, religious literature, and controversial expert opinions, rather than evidence of preparing or committing violent crimes. Human rights defenders have repeatedly emphasized that such cases have signs of political persecution.

After his arrest, Mirzaali Tazhibayev was placed in a pre-trial detention center and later transferred to the Rostov region of the Russian Federation, where the case against the five detained Crimean Tatars is being heard. As of July 2026, he is held in Pre-trial Detention Center No. 3 of the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Rostov region (Novocherkassk).

Ukrainian human rights organizations view Mirzaali Tazhibayev's case as part of a large-scale campaign of repression against Crimean Tatars on the occupied peninsula. In a joint statement, several Ukrainian human rights organizations called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia and demand the immediate release of all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens.

As of July 22, 2026, Mirzaali Tazhibayev remains in custody. There is no information in open sources about a verdict or his release. His case remains one of many examples of politically motivated persecution of Crimean Tatars on fabricated charges of involvement with “Hizb ut-Tahrir.”

Information used from open sources: Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Suspilne Crimea, Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners, ZMINA, Crimean Solidarity, Crimean Human Rights Group, Qirim media, Center for Journalistic Investigations, Crimean Platform.

Photo: Project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial.”

Last updated: July 22, 2026.