Arrest: On October 11, 2017, security forces conducted searches among Crimean Tatars in Bakhchisaray. They detained six men — Server Zekiryaev, Timur Ibragimov, Marlen (Suleiman) Asanov, Memet Belyalov, Seyran Saliyev, and Ernes Ametov. They were accused in the so-called 'Crimean Muslims case'. Server Zekiryaev was later transferred to Rostov-on-Don.

Sentence: On September 16, 2020, the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Server Zekiryaev to 13 years in a strict regime colony. He was found guilty of participating in the activities of the organization 'Hizb ut-Tahrir', which Russia considers terrorist, although it is not banned in Ukraine and most countries worldwide. On March 14, 2022, the Russian Military Appeals Court upheld the sentence.

Server Zekiryaev was born on April 1, 1973, in Angren, Tashkent Region (Uzbekistan). His family, like thousands of Crimean Tatars, was in forced exile following the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people.

After completing the 9th grade, he entered a technical school, where he trained as a physical education teacher. In 1989, after graduating, the Zekiryaev family returned to Bakhchisaray.

At 18, Server began teaching physical education at a school in Bakhchisaray and worked as a baker at a bread factory. He also cultivated greens and vegetable seedlings. Later, his family started growing flowers and established a floral business. They continued cultivating greens and vegetable seedlings, eventually creating a family business in flower cultivation, including roses and carnations.

In 1997, Server married. Together with his wife Zarema, they raised 13 children. The family was known for its unity. According to relatives, Server devoted much time to his children, focusing on their upbringing, health, education, and family leisure. The youngest child was born after his arrest.

After the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Server Zekiryaev supported the Crimean Tatar community and engaged in public activities, helping families of political prisoners and supporting the initiatives of 'Crimean Solidarity'. This active civic stance, according to human rights defenders, was one reason for his persecution.

On October 11, 2017, FSB officers conducted mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in Bakhchisaray. After the search, Server Zekiryaev was detained along with several other Crimean Tatar activists. They were all included in the so-called 'second Bakhchisaray Hizb ut-Tahrir case'. Human rights organizations have repeatedly stated that the case is political, based on covert audio recordings of religious conversations, dubious expert conclusions, and anonymous witness testimonies.

After his arrest, the family faced additional pressure. Russian authorities blocked the bank account receiving state aid for the large family. His wife had to support their 13 children and assist her husband during his imprisonment.

During the trial, Server Zekiryaev categorically denied all charges. In his final statement, he emphasized that he never advocated violence and that the case was fabricated. Human rights defenders also highlighted the lack of evidence of any preparation or commission of violent acts.

On September 16, 2020, the court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 13 years in prison. The 2022 appeal left the sentence unchanged.

After being transferred to Correctional Colony No. 1 in Tula Region, Server Zekiryaev repeatedly reported systematic psychological pressure and harsh detention conditions. Since 2023, the colony administration has almost continuously placed him in a punishment cell (SHIZO), a cell-type room (PKT), and a single cell-type room (EPKT). Human rights defenders emphasize that these actions serve as additional punishment and are used as a means of pressure on the political prisoner.

In 2024 – 2026, Server's health significantly deteriorated. According to his wife and lawyers, he suffers from exhaustion, severe cough, stomach pain, periodic vomiting, tongue numbness, and other symptoms. Despite numerous appeals, the colony administration does not provide adequate medical care. Representatives of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Crimean Solidarity, and the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea have repeatedly called on the international community to address his situation and demand an end to human rights violations.

Today, Server Zekiryaev remains a symbol of the persecution of Crimean Tatars on the temporarily occupied peninsula. His case is regularly mentioned in reports by Ukrainian state bodies and international human rights organizations as an example of politically motivated criminal prosecution.

Information sourced from open sources: Crimean Solidarity, the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, USCIRF (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom).

Photo: Crimean Solidarity.

Date updated: 12.07.2026.