Political Prisoners

Asanov Enver

Detention: As of July 29, 2026, there is no information in open independent sources about the detention of Enver Asanov by Russian occupation authorities. However, he is under politically motivated criminal prosecution. The Russian occupation authorities have declared him wanted in the so-called 'Sentsov case,' using fabricated charges of alleged involvement in 'terrorist activities.' The Crimean Tatar Resource Center recognizes him as a person subjected to political persecution. Sentence: As of 29.07.2026, there is no information about a conviction regarding Enver Asanov. In open independent sources, he is listed as a person declared wanted by Russian occupation authorities in a politically motivated criminal case. There is no data on a court decision or his detention.

Asanov Marlen (Suleyman)

Detention: On October 12, 2017, FSB officers conducted mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in Bakhchisarai. Following the search, citizen journalist and volunteer Marlen (Suleyman) Asanov was detained. Along with him, Timur Ibragimov, Memet Belyalov, Seyran Saliev, Server Zekiryaev, and Ernes Ametov were also detained. They were all charged with involvement in the activities of the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Russia has designated as terrorist, although it is not banned in Ukraine. Ukrainian and international human rights organizations stated that the criminal prosecution is politically motivated and linked to Marlen Asanov's active civic engagement and his participation in the initiative 'Crimean Solidarity'. Sentence: On September 16, 2020, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found Marlen...

Asanov Ruslan

Detention: On August 24, 2023, in the Bakhchysarai district, temporarily occupied Crimea, Russian security forces conducted searches in the homes of six Crimean Tatar activists, including Ruslan Asanov. Following the search, he was detained and taken to the occupation Kyiv District Court of Simferopol. On August 24, the court ordered his detention. Asanov was charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code, and later under Part 1 of Article 30, Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code, allegedly for preparing to seize power by force. The case became part of the so-called 'fifth Bakhchysarai group' in the 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' case. Sentence: On October 21, 2026, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don issued guilty verdicts to six Crimean Tatars, defendants in the fifth Bakhchysarai group in the so-called 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' case. The men were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 15 to 19 years in high-security colonies. Ruslan Asanov was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment.

Audji Eskender

Detention: On July 25, 2023, Russian security forces detained Eskender Serverovich Audji in the village of Novooleksiivka, Henichesk district, Kherson region, which was under Russian military control at the time. After his detention, he was taken to occupied Crimea, where a criminal case was initiated under Part 2 of Article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in an illegal armed formation'). Russian investigators claimed he was allegedly a member of the Noman Çelebicihan volunteer battalion. Eskender denied these charges. Ukrainian human rights defenders emphasized that the case is politically motivated and exemplifies the application of Russian criminal law to Ukrainian citizens in occupied territories. Sentence: On December 12, 2023, the occupation Henichesk district court of Kherson...

Faizullaev Aziz

Arrest: On June 7, 2022, a search was conducted at the home of Crimean Tatar Aziz Faizullaev in the Feodosia district of Crimea, after which he was detained and taken to a pre-trial detention centre. Following his arrest, occupation media released a video allegedly showing his 'confession' to making two Molotov cocktails and setting fire to the building of the occupation Pushkin Village Council, after breaking a window. Human rights defenders considered this video to be coerced. According to the 'investigation,' on June 5, 2022, Faizullaev, while intoxicated, broke a window of the village council in Pushkine and threw two bottles with incendiary mixture inside. The fire destroyed most of the property in the deputies' room. The 'court' ruling explicitly stated that Faizullaev acted due to 'disagreement with the war in Ukraine, where his...

Azizov Aziz

Detention: On March 5, 2024, in Bakhchisarai, Russian FSB officers detained two journalists covering politically motivated cases in Crimea. Sentence: Not issued. As of September 2, 2026, the case is under trial in the first instance court. Aziz Azizov is charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code — "participation in the activities of a terrorist organization." Russian authorities consider "Hizb ut-Tahrir" a terrorist organization, although it is not banned as such in Ukraine and most countries worldwide. Human rights defenders view the persecution of Crimean Tatars under this article as politically motivated.

Azmyeeva Saliye

Detention: Saliye Enverivna Azmyeeva was not detained by the Russian occupation authorities. However, she is subject to politically motivated criminal prosecution in absentia. The Russian occupation authorities have unlawfully accused her of involvement in the civil blockade of Crimea and the activities of the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan ('Asker'). Sentence: In June 2026, she was added to the Russian list of 'terrorists' and declared wanted. Human rights defenders emphasize that the persecution is politically motivated and related to her pro-Ukrainian civic stance. The unlawful criminal proceedings and the wanted notice are not recognized by Ukraine or the international community.

Babich Oleksandr

Detention: March 28, 2022, Hola Prystan, Kherson region, temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. Illegally abducted for his pro-Ukrainian stance. Since then, he has been held in Russian captivity as a civilian hostage and political prisoner without any official charges. Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, there is no official information on a sentence. The Russian Federation has unlawfully detained Oleksandr Babich for an extended period without charges or access to independent legal counsel. Human rights defenders classify his detention as unlawful imprisonment and enforced disappearance.

Balukh Volodymyr

Detention: After Russia's occupation of Crimea in 2014, Balukh refused Russian citizenship and prominently displayed the Ukrainian flag over his house, with a plaque reading 'Street of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred 18' on the facade. Due to his pro-Ukrainian stance, he was constantly pressured by the occupation administration. In 2013, he participated in the Euromaidan in Kyiv. On December 8, 2016, FSB officers searched the home of Natalia Balukh, Volodymyr's wife, in the village of Serebryanka, Perekopsky district of Crimea, claiming to have found 89 cartridges and several TNT blocks in the attic. Balukh and his defenders insisted the ammunition was planted. He was detained the same day. Searches of Balukh's property had occurred previously. In June 2016, he was sentenced to 320 hours of community service for 'insulting a government official,' which was later changed to 40 days in a settlement colony.

Barannik Kyrylo

Detention: On May 30, 2023, Kyrylo Barannik was unlawfully detained by FSB officers in Simferopol. Witnesses reported he was seized in broad daylight on the Salgir River embankment, a bag was placed over his head, and he was taken for interrogation. Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, no verdict has been issued in the case. Kyrylo Barannik remains in custody awaiting trial at the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. The Russian side accuses him of: Article 205.3 - Undergoing training for terrorist activities; Article 222.1, part 4 - Illegal circulation of explosives committed by a group; Article 226.1, part 3 - Smuggling of explosives by an organized group; Article 205.4, part 2 - Organization of a terrorist group; Article 205, part 2 - Terrorist act committed by a group; Article 275 - High treason.

Bariev Eskender

Detention: Eskender Bariev is a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, a human rights defender, and the founder of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, which he heads. Under his leadership, the Center documents political persecution, enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, and other human rights violations in occupied Crimea. Bariev openly opposes the occupation of the peninsula and defends the rights of Crimean Tatars. Russian authorities have initiated a criminal case against him and placed him on an international wanted list. Eskender Bariev faces criminal prosecution by the Russian occupation authorities under Part 2 of Article 280.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Sentence: The occupation authorities accuse Eskender Bariev of public calls for actions aimed at violating the territorial integrity of Russia, using mass media. In the course of the case, the occupation court has chosen, in absentia, a preventive measure of detention in case of his arrest or extradition to the Russian Federation.

Barmakin Dmytro

Detention: Dmytro Barmakin, a native of Crimea, entered Russia with his wife Olena, who came to care for her sick mother. In July 2018, a search was conducted at his mother-in-law's house in Vladivostok, after which Barmakin was arrested on charges of "organizing the activities of an extremist organization" (Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). He spent 447 days in a pre-trial detention centre, over 14 months. After his release, he was under restrictions for two more years: he could not change his residence or communicate with certain individuals. Shortly after his detention, authorities also initiated a criminal case against his wife Olena. Sentence: Barmakin's case went through three court instances. In November 2021, the Pervorechensky District Court of Vladivostok acquitted him—the first such acquittal for a Jehovah's Witness on "extremism" charges in Russia. The court stated: "Conducting religious rites in residential or commercial premises does not violate the law but is an exercise of believers' rights to freedom of conscience and religion." However, in April 2022, the regional court overturned the acquittal and sent the case for a new trial. In April 2023, the same court reviewed the case again in a closed session. On April 28, 2023, Barmakin was sentenced to 8 years in a general regime colony and 1 year of restricted freedom after serving the main term. The prosecutor demanded 9 years—the fifth and harshest sentence for a Jehovah's Witness in Russia at that time. After the verdict was announced, Barmakin was taken into custody directly in the courtroom.