Four Crimean Tatars from Alushta were sentenced to 12 to 18 years in prison in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case.

The Southern District Military Court imposed sentences of 12 to 18 years in prison for Ruslan Mesutov, Lenur Khalilov, Ruslan Nagaev and Eldar Kantimirov in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. This was reported by the Crimean Solidarity association.

They were found guilty of preparing for a violent seizure of power (Part 1 of Article 30, Article 278 of the Criminal Code), as well as of organizing the activities of a terrorist organization and participating in it (Part 1, 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code). Mesutov and Khalilov received 18 years in a maximum security colony, Nagaev - 13 years, and Kantimirov - 12. All defendants were sentenced to a year of restriction of freedom after serving their sentences. The convicts will spend the first two years in prison, activists say.

When the verdict was announced, the four defendants wore T-shirts with inscriptions related to the criminal case: ““Trial” without the right to speak,” “The study of religion is not terrorism,” “1944 - designated as traitors,” and “2016 – designated as terrorists.” Crimean Tatars were detained in June 2019. According to investigators, they are involved in the activities of the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, recognized as terrorist in Russia. Moreover, the organization legally exists on the territory of Ukraine. Supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir were not seen in the preparation and organization of terrorist attacks.