Police in Crimea decided not to initiate administrative cases due to the picket of a Crimean Tatar activist

Employees of the Kirovsky police department in Crimea refused to initiate administrative proceedings in the wake of a solitary picket by public defender and coordinator of Crimean Solidarity Mustafa Seidaliev, write on the project website.

On December 28, 2020, a Crimean Tatar activist went on a picket in support of the defendants in the Belogorsk case of Hizb ut-Tahrir, who were sentenced to 13 to 18 years in prison less than a month later.

As Crimean Solidarity clarifies, the police conducted an investigation on the allegation that Seidaliev violated the law on public events during the picket, as well as the “self-isolation regime”. The security forces concluded that there was no corpus delicti in the actions of the picketer.

“You can’t be silent when you see injustice. This is the least I could do for people I know personally. They are not criminals and never have been. They are believers who just want to live on their own land and practice their religion,” stressed the Crimean Solidarity coordinator.

picket date fixed

• On January 12, a court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Enver Omerov, Ayder Dzhepparov, and Riza Omerov, defendants in the Belogorsk Hizb ut-Tahrir case, to terms of 13 to 18 years.
• The court found the Crimean Tatars guilty under articles on organizing the activities of a terrorist organization (part 1 of article 205.5 of the Criminal Code), participating in it (part 2 of article 205.5 of the Criminal Code), as well as on preparing for a violent seizure of power (article 278 of the Criminal Code using part 1 article 30 of the Criminal Code).
• Hizb ut-Tahrir was recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. Its participants are accused and sentenced to real terms only on the basis that they met in apartments, read religious literature and recruited new participants. According to the information and analytical center "Sova", the party is recognized as a terrorist in Russia unlawfully.