RFE
16 Sep 2020, 23:45 GMT+10
A court in Russia has sentenced seven Crimean Tatars to lengthy prison terms on charges of being members of a banned Islamic group.
On September 16, the Southern Military Regional court in the city of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Marlen Asanov, Memet Belyalov, Timur Ibragimov, Seyran Saliyev, Server Mustafayev, Server Zekiryayev, and Edem Smailov to prison terms of between 13 and 19 years.
All were found guilty of being members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group, which is labeled as extremist and banned in Russia but is legal in Ukraine.
An eighth defendant, Ernes Ametov, was acquitted.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) branch in Crimea said earlier that Smailov and Mustafayev, a coordinator of the Crimean Solidarity human rights group, were arrested in May 2018, while the other men were arrested in Crimea in October 2017.
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they have called a persistent campaign of oppression targeting Crimean Tatars and other citizens who opposed Moscow's forcible annexation of the peninsula.
Russia occupied and seized Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.
The majority of Crimean Tatars opposed the Russian takeover of their historic homeland.
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Iraq Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iraq Sun.
More InformationBRUSSELS, Belgium: Meta is holding firm on its controversial pay-or-consent model, a move that could lead to fresh antitrust charges...
LONDON, U.K.: American consumers and businesses could soon face the highest overall tariff burden in more than a century, according...
The family of Sayfollah Saif Musallet, a 20-year-old American citizen who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West...
CONCORD, New Hampshire: A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a crucial ruling on July 10 against President Donald Trump's executive...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: A cargo ship flagged under Liberia, known as the Eternity C, sank in the Red Sea following an attack executed by Yemen's...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has started sending some weapons to Ukraine again, just a week after the Pentagon told officials...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: A cargo ship flagged under Liberia, known as the Eternity C, sank in the Red Sea following an attack executed by Yemen's...
In the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
Dubai [UAE], July 15 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday held a meeting with Salim MA, Director of LuLu Group...
Dubai [UAE], July 15 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, on Monday, lauded the Indian armed forces for conducting Operation...
Dubai [UAE], July 15 (ANI): Chief Minister Mohan Yadav emphasised on Monday that his entire day was dedicated to increasing trade between...
Forget dtente, Moscow must fight to the end Many now speak of humanity's drift towards World War III, imagining events similar to...