A Crimean Tatar, acquitted two years ago, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in the case of participation in the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Crimean Tatar Ernes Ametov to 11 years in prison in the case of participation in the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir. This was reported by a correspondent for the publication “Grati”.

During the debate, lawyer Dzhemil Temishev argued that the authorities were persecuting Ametov because he refused to testify against his compatriots. From the very first hearing, the defendant denied the charge and said that he was not associated with Hizb ut-Tahrir, but simply “went to the mosque” and exercised his right “to freedom of religion.”

Ametov is a member of the Crimean Solidarity movement. He was detained in Bakhchisaray in October 2017 and accused, along with six other Crimean Tatars, of organizing and participating in the activities of a terrorist cell (parts 1 and 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code). In May 2018, two more Crimean Solidarity activists were detained in connection with the case, and in February 2019, all eight were charged with a new charge - for the violent seizure of power (Article 278 of the Criminal Code).

In September 2020, they were sentenced to terms ranging from 13 to 19 years, and Ametov was the only one acquitted by the court . In March 2022, the appeal court overturned the acquittal, and in May the Crimean Tatar was arrested again.