Six defendants in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case in Yalta had their arrest extended for six months

The North Caucasus District Military Court, at an off-site hearing in Simferopol, extended the arrest of six defendants in the case of organizing the activities of a Hizb ut-Tahrir cell in Yalta. We are talking about Muslim Aliyev, Emir-Usein Kuku, Vadim Siruk, Enver Bekirov, Refat Alimov and Arsen Dzhepparov, writes the Crimean Events portal.

The prosecutor argued the need to extend the arrest by saying that “the accused can destroy evidence in the case, influence witnesses, and hide from court.” The defense asked to change the preventive measure to house arrest, noting that the prosecution did not provide documentary support for its position.

The investigation into the activists' case has been completed. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 11.

The defendants in the case are accused of organizing the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir (Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code) and preparing for a violent seizure of power (Article 278 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, Aliyev is the organizer, the rest are ordinary participants.

The investigation into the case ended in July 2017. Aliyev, Kuku, Bekirov and Siruk were arrested in February 2016 after searches in their homes. According to Novaya Gazeta, the arrests and searches were harsh, the police broke down doors and windows, and one of the detainees had a bag over his head. Later, Alimov and Dzhepparov were arrested, whom investigators also consider to be members of the Yalta cell of Hizb ut-Tahrir. The case went to trial at the end of January.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. Cases of terrorism have been opened in different regions of the country, while members of the organization’s cells are accused and sentenced to various terms in a maximum security colony only on the basis that they met in apartments, read religious literature and recruited new members.