The prosecutor's office intends to increase the sentence of a convicted Crimean from 12 to 17 years

The prosecutor's office sent a complaint to the Supreme Court against the decision of the North Caucasus Military District Court in the case of Ruslan Zeytullayev, convicted of organizing a Hizb ut-Tahrir cell in Crimea. This was reported by Crimea. Realities."

The state prosecution asked the court to sentence Zeitullayev to 17 years in prison and filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. The prosecutor's office said that the imposition of “a more lenient punishment than provided for this crime is possible only in the presence of exceptional circumstances,” which, according to the prosecution, are absent.

I don't know where this bloodthirstiness comes from. There's no other way to call it. They give murderers 18 years, but here Ruslan, who was an exemplary family man, an ordinary hard worker, and the state demands 17 years for him. This defies normal logic <…> I think this is because of Ruslan’s civic position. Due to the fact that he not only sits there, but constantly demands the release of political prisoners, he even organizes some kind of flash mobs

, - commented on the situation to the publication “Crimea. Realities” lawyer Emil Kurbedinov.

On March 16, Ruslan Zeytullayev began another hunger strike to protest against the verdict and the persecution of activists.

The lawyer also said that Zeitullaev is going to renounce Russian citizenship.

On April 26, the North Caucasus District Military Court found Ruslan Zeitullaev guilty of organizing a Hizb ut-Tahrir cell in Crimea (Part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

On April 4, Zeitullayev went on a dry hunger strike, which continued until the verdict was announced.

In September 2016, the court indicted four Crimean Tatars, including Zeytullayev. He was then given seven years in a general regime colony, reclassifying the article from organizing terrorist activity to participating in it. However, later, on December 27, the Supreme Court, in response to the prosecution's request , sent the case for a new trial . In February, the court re-started considering Zeytullayev's case.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, according to a number of human rights organizations, has been unlawfully recognized as terrorist.