Political Prisoners

Aliyeva Gulsum

Detention: Gulsum Aliyeva was detained twice by occupation security forces and her home was searched. A criminal case was initiated against her under Part 1 of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code ('incitement of hatred or enmity') due to a repost on Facebook of an anti-Russian demotivator. Sentence: Gulsum Aliyeva was prosecuted as part of a criminal case. She is included in the lists of individuals persecuted by the occupation authorities, maintained by Ukrainian human rights organizations. Gulsum Aliyeva was born in 1996. She is the daughter of the well-known Crimean Tatar political prisoner Muslim Aliyev, a figure in the 'Yalta Hizb ut-Tahrir case', sentenced in 2019 to 19 years of imprisonment. Gulsum lived in Alushta. She has had a disability since childhood, which was one of the reasons for the family's move to Alushta, where better...

Ametov Enver

Detention: On March 27, 2019, Russian security forces conducted one of the largest waves of searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Kamyanka and Stroganivka neighborhoods near Simferopol. After the search, Belyal Adilov was detained along with more than twenty other Crimean Tatar activists. He was charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of a terrorist organization') due to alleged involvement with the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which operates legally in Ukraine but is banned in Russia. Ukrainian

Ametov Ernes

Detention: On October 11, 2017, FSB officers conducted a series of searches in Bakhchisarai and other locations in occupied Crimea. Following the search, civic journalist and Crimean Tatar activist Ernes Ametov was detained. Along with him, Seiran Saliev, Marlen Asanov, Timur Ibragimov, Server Zekiryaev, and Memet Belyalov were also detained. Russian investigators accused them of participating in the activities of the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization'), which Russia considers terrorist, although it is not banned in Ukraine. Human rights defenders emphasized that the persecution is politically motivated and linked to civic journalism and the active stance of Crimean Tatars. Sentence: On September 16, 2020, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don fully acquitted Ernes Ametov due to a lack of evidence of his guilt. This was the first and, for a long time, the only acquittal in Hizb ut-Tahrir cases concerning Crimean Tatars. However, in March 2022, the appellate military court overturned the acquittal, and on December 29, 2022, during a retrial, Ernes was sentenced to 11 years in a strict regime colony. On December 15, 2023, the appellate court upheld this sentence.

Ametov Ilver

Detention: On September 27, 2019, Russian security forces searched the home and café premises of Ilver Ametov in occupied Sudak. During the search, they seized his membership card of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, museum exhibits, and documents. Ametov was charged with illegal acquisition and possession of weapons. Sentence: On August 5, 2021, the Russia-controlled Sudak City 'court' sentenced Ilver Ametov to 8 months of restricted freedom under Part 1 of Article 222 of the Russian Criminal Code. The sentence included a ban on leaving his home at night, a requirement to report monthly to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and restrictions on leaving Sudak. In February 2022, the Russia-controlled Supreme 'court' of Crimea overturned the sentence and sent the case for retrial. The outcome of the retrial is not established in verified sources.

Ananyev Volodymyr

Detention: On the night of February 2, 2024, in occupied Simferopol. Russian security forces detained Volodymyr Ananyev at an acquaintance's apartment. Officially, the FSB of Russia announced his detention on February 5, 2024, but human rights defenders and Ananyev's wife report that the actual detention occurred earlier, on the night of February 2. After his detention, he was initially charged with illegal acquisition and storage of explosives, later with aiding in the preparation of a terrorist act and preparing an assassination attempt on a representative of the occupying authorities of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov. Sentence: As of September 6, 2026, Volodymyr Ananyev remains in custody, and his case is being considered by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. Ananyev denies the charges and claims they are fabricated. In February 2025, the indictment in his case was approved and forwarded to the court. The charges brought by the Russian side threaten him with a long prison term of 10 years.

Andriievska Anna

Detention: On March 13, 2015, FSB officers conducted a search at the apartment of Crimean journalist Anna Andriievska's parents in Crimea. At that time, the journalist was already on the mainland of Ukraine, having been forced to leave after the occupation of Crimea in 2014. Simultaneously, the FSB initiated a criminal case against her under Article 280.1 of the Russian Criminal Code ('public calls for the violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation'). The formal reason was her article about the Ukrainian volunteer battalion 'Crimea,' published in the 'Center for Investigative Journalism.' Anna Andriievska herself was not detained, but she was declared a suspect by the Russian occupation authorities. Human rights activists considered the persecution a gross violation of freedom of speech and politically motivated pressure on independent journalism. Sentence: As of July 29, 2026, there is no information about a conviction against Anna Andriievska. Meanwhile, the criminal case initiated by the Russian FSB remains one of the first examples of criminal prosecution of Ukrainian journalists for not recognizing the occupation of Crimea. In 2024, a Ukrainian court sentenced two FSB officers in absentia for organizing the illegal persecution of the journalist.

Apkelyamov Adil

Detention: On January 14, 2025, Russian security forces detained 20-year-old Adil. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center reported his unlawful detention in the temporarily occupied Crimea. According to the Center, Russian forces accused the young Crimean of public calls for extremist and terrorist activities online. It was reported that Apkelyamov allegedly posted messages on Telegram calling for violent actions against individuals of Russian nationality. The criminal prosecution was conducted under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code — public calls for extremist activities, and Part 2 of Article 205.2 — public calls for terrorist activities. A human rights project classifies Apkelyamov as a person persecuted for political reasons. Sentence: On September 25, 2025, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found Adil Apkelyamov guilty under Part 2 of Article 280 and Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code. The court sentenced him to three years in a general regime penal colony. Additionally, Apkelyamov was prohibited from engaging in activities related to website administration and the use of information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet, for three years.

Arifmemetov Osman

Detention: On March 27, 2019, a search was conducted at Osman Arifmemetov's home. The next day, March 28, the Kyiv District Court of Simferopol ordered his detention until May 15, 2019, under charges according to Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization'). He faced up to 20 years of imprisonment. After the search, citizen journalist and activist Osman Arifmemetov was detained.

Abkhairov Arsen

Detention: On February 14, 2019, FSB officers conducted mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Krasnohvardiiske district of temporarily occupied Crimea. Following the search, Arsen Abkhairov was detained along with Rustem Emiruseinov and Eskender Abdulganiev. All three were charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly participating in the activities of the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Russia considers terrorist. In Ukraine, this organization's activities are not prohibited. Human rights organizations have regarded

Asanov Ali

Detention: On April 17, 2015, Russian security forces detained Ali Asanov in connection with the so-called 'February 26 case,' related to a pro-Ukrainian rally near the building of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on February 26, 2014. Human rights organizations emphasize that the persecution was politically motivated and targeted Crimean Tatars who supported Ukraine's territorial integrity. Sentence: On June 29, 2018, the Russian-controlled 'Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea' found Ali Asanov guilty of participating in 'mass riots' (part 2, article 212 of the Russian Criminal Code) and sentenced him to 4 years in a general regime colony. After accounting for time spent in pre-trial detention, he was released on October 30, 2018, having effectively served over three and a half years of imprisonment. Human rights defenders recognized the sentence...

Asanov Ayder

Arrest: On January 24, 2023, FSB officers conducted mass searches in the Dzhankoy district of temporarily occupied Crimea. Ayder Asanov was detained after the search. Along with him, Ekrem Krosh, Osman Abdurazakova, Refat Seydametov, and Leman Zekeryaev were also detained. They were all accused of participating in the activities of the organization "Hizb ut-Tahrir," which Russia considers terrorist, although it is not banned in Ukraine. Human rights organizations emphasized that the case is political and part of systematic repression against Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea. Sentence: On April 29, 2025, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found Ayder Asanov guilty under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ("participation in the activities of a terrorist organization") and Part 1 of Article 30, Article 278 ("Preparation for...

Asanov Eduard

Detention: On September 6, 2023, Russian FSB officers searched the home of Crimean Tatar Eduard Aidirovich Asanov. Following the search, he was detained and accused of participating in an illegal armed formation—the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion. According to the Russian investigation, he allegedly was part of the battalion from 2016 to 2018 and failed to inform Russian authorities of his cessation of participation upon returning to Crimea. Eduard denied the charges, explaining that while he had been to the administrative border with Crimea, he was not a serviceman of the battalion and did not participate in its activities. Human rights defenders emphasized that the case is politically motivated and part of a campaign to persecute Crimean Tatars for any connections to the civil blockade of Crimea. Sentence: In January 2022, he was convicted under paragraph 'v' of part 2 of article 115 of the Russian Criminal Code ('Intentional infliction of minor harm to health with the use of weapons or objects used as weapons') and sentenced to 200 hours of community service. On July 22, 2024, the occupation Supreme Court of Crimea found Eduard Asanov guilty under part 2 of article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in an illegal armed formation') and sentenced him to 8 years and 6 months of imprisonment. The first three years are to be served in prison, with the remainder in a strict regime colony.