The court sentenced the defendants in the "Yalta case" of Hizb ut-Tahrir

The court sentenced six Crimean Tatars to terms ranging from 7 to 19 years in prison.

On November 12, 2019, in Rostov-on-Don, the Southern (North Caucasian) District Military Court delivered a verdict in the "Yalta case" against members of the banned Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Muslim Aliyev and Inver Bekirov were found guilty under Part 1 of Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of a terrorist organization) and Art. 278 of the Criminal Code with the application of Part 1 of Art. 30 of the Criminal Code (preparation for a violent seizure of power) and sentenced to 19 and 18 years in prison, respectively, to be served in a strict regime colony.

The remaining defendants were found guilty under Part 2 of Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of a terrorist organization) and art. 278 of the Criminal Code with the application of Part 1 of Art. 30 of the Criminal Code and sentenced: Emir-Usein Kuku and Vadim Siruk - to 12 years in a strict regime colony, Refat Alimov - to 8 years, Arsen Dzhepparov - to 7 years. As an additional punishment, all convicts were sentenced to a one-year restriction of freedom.

Recall that the prosecutor asked to sentence the defendants to terms of 13.5 to 20.5 years in prison.

Muslim Aliyev (Verkhnyaya Kutuzovka village, Bolshaya Alushta), Enver Bekirov (Krasnokamenka village, Bolshaya Yalta), Emir-Usein Kuku (Yalta) and Vadim Siruk (Yalta) were detained in February 2016. Refat Alimov and Arsen Dzhepparov were detained in April 2016 in the village of Krasnokamenka (Kyzyltash) in Greater Yalta. All of them were under arrest.

The trial in the Yalta cell case started in December 2017. On August 21, 2018, the court returned the case to the prosecutor's office in order to reclassify the charge against Bekirov from Part 2 to Part 1 of Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code. The defense opposed this decision: according to the lawyers, the court thus got the opportunity to "patch holes in the case" rife with errors, collect new evidence from witnesses who gave soft evidence at the trial, re-interrogate experts, add new materials. On April 4, 2019, the court returned to the case.

Recall, we believe that there were no grounds for banning Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organization, and accusing its members of promoting terrorism only on the basis of party activities (holding meetings, reading literature, etc.) and prosecuting them for anti-terrorist articles is unlawful.

Sources

• Case card No. 1-43/2019 // Southern district military court. November 12, 2019
• Defendants in Yalta Hizb ut-Tahrir case sentenced to 7 to 19 years in a strict regime colony // Mediazone. November 12, 2019