The court extended the detention of three defendants in the Alushta Hizb ut-Tahrir case

On April 28, the Southern District Military Court extended the detention of Lenur Khalilov, Ruslan Nagaev and Eldar Kantimirov, defendants in the Alushta case of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in custody. This was reported on its Facebook page by the Crimean Solidarity movement.

The detention in the pre-trial detention center was extended for six months, until October 2020. At the same time, as lawyer Ayder Azamatov told Crimean Solidarity, the court rejected the defense's petitions.

In particular, the court rejected the request for the participation of an interpreter in the process: according to the lawyer, the court came to the conclusion that the defendants "have spoken Russian all their lives."

The court also decided to transfer the defendants in the case from SIZO No. 1 of Crimea to SIZO No. 1 of Rostov-on-Don. The lawyer fears that in the conditions of the pre-trial detention center, especially given the upcoming transfer, his clients may become infected with the coronavirus.

• Lenur Khalilov, Ruslan Nagaev, Eldar Kantimirov and Ruslan Mesutov were detained after mass searches in June 2019. Everyone, except Khalilov, is charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist organization (part 2 of article 205.5 of the Criminal Code). Khalilov is charged under the article on organizing the activities of a terrorist organization (part 1 of article 205.5 of the Criminal Code). In October 2019, the Supreme Court of Crimea rejected the defendants' complaint for an extension of the detention period.
• Hizb ut-Tahrir was recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia by a court decision. In different regions of the country, cases of terrorism are opened, while members of the cells of the organization are accused and sentenced to various terms in a strict regime colony only on the basis that they met in apartments, read religious literature and recruited new members.