Political Prisoners

Nimetulaeva Esma

Detention: On October 15, 2025, FSB officers searched the Nimetulaev family home and detained Esma. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no information on the sentence. The Russian Federation accuses Esma Nimetulaeva under Part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('organization of the activities of a terrorist organization'), linking the case to alleged involvement in the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir. Ukrainian human rights organizations consider the case politically motivated and view it as a continuation of repressions against Crimean Tatars and families of political prisoners.

Voronchykhin Oleksandr

Arrest: On November 17, 2022, Russian security forces conducted a series of mass searches in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses, after which a criminal case was initiated against Oleksandr Voronchykhin under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code ('organization of the activities of an extremist organization'). After interrogation, he was released under travel restrictions. Human rights defenders consider the prosecution politically motivated and solely related to the exercise of the right to freedom of religion. Sentence: As of July 26, 2026, there is no final verdict. The criminal case is under consideration in the Russian-controlled Simferopol District Court. Oleksandr Voronchykhin remains under travel restrictions.

Behei Olha

Detention: March 22, 2025, Olha was accused of 'treason'. Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, no sentence has been issued. Olha Behei remains in custody. The Russian side charges her under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('treason'). Human rights defenders emphasize that the case shows signs of politically motivated persecution of a Ukrainian citizen.

Omerov Enver

Arrest: On June 10, 2019, Russian security forces detained Enver Omerov. At that time, he was traveling with his daughter Fatma Ismailova to Rostov-on-Don for a court hearing in the case of his son-in-law Rustem Ismailov, who had previously been convicted in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. A man in civilian clothes informed Omerov that he needed to go to the police department in Kerch. He was then detained. On the same day, the court decided on a preventive measure of detention. Omerov became a figure in the so-called Bilohirsk group in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. Along with him, his son Riza Omerov and Ayder Jepparov were also pursued. Later, Azamat Eyupov was added to the case. Sentence: On January 12, 2021, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Enver Omerov to 18 years of imprisonment. The first two years were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a high-security penal colony. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code — 'organizing the activities of a terrorist organization,' as well as under Part 1 of Article 30 and Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code — allegedly preparing for the violent seizure of power.

Omerov Riza

Detention: On June 10, 2019, Riza Omerov was detained by Russian security forces in the temporarily occupied Crimea. On the same day, his father, Enver Omerov, was also detained. Riza became a figure in the so-called Bilohirsk group in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. Alongside him, Enver Omerov and Ayder Jepparov were also prosecuted in this case. Later, Azamat Eyupov was added to the criminal proceedings. Sentence: On January 12, 2021, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Riza Omerov to 13 years of imprisonment. The first two years were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a high-security colony. He was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for 'participation in the activities of an organization recognized as terrorist,' as well as under Part 1 of Article 30 and Article 278 for allegedly preparing for the violent seizure of power. On March 10, 2022, the military appellate court upheld the sentence.

Osadchyi Oleksandr

Detention: In August 2023, Russian security forces detained Oleksandr Osadchyi. For almost a year, his family did not know his whereabouts. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no final verdict in open verified sources. According to family and human rights defenders, the Russian occupation authorities have charged Oleksandr Osadchyi under three articles of the Russian Federation Criminal Code, including 'state treason' and 'espionage.' He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Human rights organizations consider the prosecution politically motivated, linked to Oleksandr's pro-Ukrainian stance.

Osmak Hennadiy

Detention: On March 6, 2024, in occupied Henichesk, Kherson region, Russian security forces detained Ukrainian journalist Hennadiy Osmak again. He was taken from the street, and a video of the arrest was distributed. Prior to this, Osmak had been under pressure from the occupying forces. After the occupation of Henichesk, Russian representatives offered him cooperation, suggesting he use his publication 'Novyi Vizyit' to disseminate Russian propaganda. The journalist refused. According to ZMINA, before the March 2024 detention, Osmak had already been searched and interrogated. During his detention and subsequent custody, people close to him reported that he was subjected to physical and psychological abuse. The Russian side accused him of alleged participation in the so-called 'Crimean Tatar Volunteer Battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan'. He was also accused of having ties with Ukrainian special services and other charges. Sentence: On August 12, 2024, the occupation 'Henichesk District Court of Kherson Region' sentenced Hennadiy Osmak to 3 years and 2 months of imprisonment in a high-security colony. In December 2025, the cassation instance of the Russian Federation upheld the sentence and denied a reduction in the term. The Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Crimean Tatar Resource Center also reported that the sentence remained unchanged.

Osmanov Ansar

Detention: February 9, 2022, in the village of Tankove, Bakhchysarai district, occupied Crimea. In the morning, Russian security forces searched Ansar Osmanov's home. After the search, he was detained and taken to the FSB office in Simferopol. That same day, the occupation court ordered his detention. Osmanov was one of four Crimean Tatars detained during simultaneous searches on February 9, 2022. Sentence: On June 16, 2023, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Ansar Osmanov to 20 years in prison. The first 5 years were to be served in prison, the remainder in a high-security colony. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 205.5 and Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code, with the application of Part 1 of Article 30 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Osmanov Edem

Detention: On January 19, 2015, in occupied Crimea, 34-year-old Crimean Tatar entrepreneur and activist Edem Osmanov was unlawfully detained. The reason was his participation in a peaceful protest on May 3, 2014, near the 'Armiansk' checkpoint, where thousands of Crimean Tatars gathered to meet their leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, who was illegally banned from entering his homeland by Russia. The occupying authorities classified these events as 'mass riots' and accused Osmanov of allegedly 'using violence against a representative of the authorities.' He is one of five Crimean Tatars charged in the 'May 3 case,' along with Musa Abkerimov, Edem Ebulisov, Tair Smedlyaev, and Rustem Abdurakhmanov. Sentence: The trial of Edem Osmanov lasted several months. Subsequently, the court sentenced him to a suspended prison term. He did not admit guilt. After serving the suspended sentence, he was released.

Osmanov Erfan

Detention: On March 27, 2019, Russian security forces conducted extensive searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Simferopol district of occupied Crimea, particularly in the Kamyanka and Strohanivka neighborhoods. During this operation, Erfan Osmanov was detained. In total, over 20 Crimean Tatar activists were detained that day and later grouped into the so-called 'second Simferopol group' in the 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' case. Sentence: On January 12, 2023, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found Erfan Osmanov guilty in what Ukrainian human rights defenders consider a fabricated case of the 'second Simferopol group “Hizb ut-Tahrir”' and sentenced him 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 also imposed one year of freedom restrictions. On September 11, 2023, the Military Court of Appeal in Vlasikha upheld the sentence.

Osmanov Rustem

Detention: On March 5, 2024, Russian security forces detained Rustem Osmanov in Bakhchisarai, occupied Crimea, following a search of his home. On the same day, the Russia-controlled Kyiv District 'court' of Simferopol ordered his detention. He was accused of participating in the activities of the organization 'Hizb ut-Tahrir'. Sentence: As of October 9, 2026, no sentence has been issued. The criminal case is being considered by the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation in Rostov-on-Don. Rustem Osmanov is held in pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don. Rustem Osmanovich Osmanov was born on January 16, 1989. He is a Crimean Tatar, a citizen journalist, and a former employee of the Crimean Tatar TV channel ATR. He lived in Bakhchisarai, occupied Crimea. After the Russian occupation of the peninsula, he remained in his homeland.

Osmanov Rustem

Detention: In April 2022, Rustem Osmanov was detained by Russian security forces. According to the FSB of the Russian Federation, he was detained on April 14, 2022, while attempting to enter occupied Crimea through the Armenian checkpoint. However, in a letter Osmanov sent to human rights defenders at the end of 2022, he stated that on April 15, 2022, he was abducted from his home in the village of Kalanchak, Kherson region, beaten, and taken to Crimea. He testified that he was tortured and his family was threatened during his detention. Sentence: In August 2022, the Russia-controlled Bilohirsk district 'court' in Crimea sentenced Rustem Osmanov to 6 years in prison under part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — participation in an armed formation not provided for by federal law, as well as participation in a formation on the territory of a foreign state that, according to the Russian authorities, acted against the interests of the Russian Federation.