Prison sentences of between 11 and 17 years have been requested for five Crimean Tatars.

At the Southern District Court of Rostov-on-Don, the state prosecutor has called for sentences for five Crimean Tatars. Crimean Solidarity reports.

The prosecutor requested 17 years in a high-security penal colony for 41-year-old Enver Krosh, 15 years each for Edem Bekirov and Rinat Aliyev, 13 years for journalist Vilen Temeryanov, and 11 years for Seityaga Abbozov. The prosecutor also asked the court to order that the first four years of the sentence for each defendant be served in prison.

'It’s difficult for me to call the prosecutor’s presentation an argument in the trial, as the prosecutor did not put forward any substantiated evidence regarding the case against our clients, who are accused under such serious terrorism-related charges, ' said Enver Krosh’s lawyer, Emil Kurbedinov.

The criminal case against Krosh, Aliyev, Bekirov, Temeryanov, Seityaga Abbozov, and Murat Mustafayev became known in August 2022. Security forces carried out searches in the homes of activists in connection with a criminal investigation over organising or participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation (Parts 1 and 2, Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code) and violent seizure of power (Article 278 of the Criminal Code). Abbozov was placed under house arrest due to his health, while the other suspects were remanded in custody.

According to investigators, Enver Krosh 'no later than 2015, led a Hizb ut-Tahrir cell', while the others detained were participants and 'carried out anti-Russian activities'. According to the publication Graty, torture was used against Krosh—this reportedly took place while he was being transferred from northern Crimea to Simferopol.