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The Crimean Tatar activist Ametkhan Abdulvapov, sentenced to 10 and a half years in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, is being transferred from jail to a penal colony. This was reported by the Crimean Solidarity movement.

At present, he is being held in Pre-Trial Detention Centre No.1 in Irkutsk—some 6,000 kilometres from his home in Crimea. Prior to this, Abdulvapov served his sentence in Prison No. 1 in Verkhneuralsk (a town in the southern Urals). It is not known exactly to which colony he will be taken.

“He had not been in touch since 6 June, and we were worried, but, praise be to the Almighty, he wrote just a couple of lines saying he is in transit in the remand prison,” Crimean Solidarity quotes the words of the political prisoner’s wife, Lenure Abdulvapova.

Previously, he had complained of health problems while in custody: bad teeth, high blood pressure and swelling around the eyes. He was almost completely out of contact, and it is unclear whether he received any medical assistance.

17 July Ametkhan Abdulvapov informed his family that he had suffered a stroke following his transfer to Penal Colony No.2 (IK-2) in Angarsk (Irkutsk region, a city in Siberia). This was reported by Crimean Solidarity, citing his father, Nedjip Abdulvapov.

According to his father, his son arrived at IK-2 a week ago. Immediately after his arrival, he sent a letter stating that “he had suffered a stroke on his feet.” His family received this letter on 15 July.

As Nedjip Abdulvapov noted, previously his son “had never complained about his heart.” In June, while being held in Pre-Trial Detention Centre No.1 in Irkutsk, he sent a letter of his “usual content.”

“It was precisely in that colony, once he arrived there, that this [stroke] happened to him. So, something must have happened there—it can’t be that he just had a stroke for no reason,” speculated the father of the Crimean Tatar.

He also reported that no doctor was called to see Ametkhan Abdulvapov at the colony. But the prisoner wrote in a letter, asking his family to send him motherwort, valerian extract, novocaine and heart medication in a parcel. He also requested that a lawyer visit him in the colony.

“He’s unwell. I know he wouldn’t ask about [medicine, lawyer] just like that. [Previously], no matter how bad he felt, he [always wrote that] everything was fine. And [now] that means something serious [has happened],” added Nedjip Abdulvapov.

19 July Ametkhan Abdulvapov reported that he was not being provided with the medication he needed for post-stroke treatment in IK-2, as the colony did not have the necessary drugs. This was reported by Crimean Solidarity, citing a lawyer who visited him two days ago.

The Crimean Tatar suffered a stroke in early July. According to Abdulvapov, he often feels tingling in his heart, and during these times he is in “unbearable pain.” He “has to endure the pain” as he is “still waiting for the prescribed medication,” which relatives are sending by post.

Abdulvapov said the following about the treatment he needs:

“I don’t know for sure. I think we’ll find out once the prescribed medication arrives. [The stages of treatment] should be explained by the doctor at IK-2.”

Crimean Solidarity also refuted reports that no doctor was called to see Abdulvapov after his stroke:

“Based on the lawyer’s interview with Abdulvapov <…> the diagnosis of 'stroke' was made by the prison doctor. Moreover, this doctor also prescribed the necessary treatment,” the rights group reported.

30 July Ametkhan Abdulvapov’s father suspects that his son was beaten at the colony. This was reported by Crimean Solidarity.

Abdulvapov’s father has sent a request to the Investigative Committee, demanding an investigation. “He had a healthy heart. He never complained. But as soon as he arrived at that colony, he immediately suffered a stroke. This can only mean that there was intense physical stress. I want the Investigative Committee to check on his health condition,” said his father.

1 September Ametkhan Abdulvapov is being held in a punishment cell (SHIZO) in the Angarsk colony, reported Crimean Solidarity.

The headline has been changed as new information became available regarding Abdulvapov’s transfer to the colony.

  • Ametkhan Abdulvapov was detained on 9 February 2022. That day, officers carried out searches of his home and the homes of three other Crimean Tatars: Ansar Osmanov (Tankovoye village, Bakhchysarai district, western Crimea), Marlen Mustafayev (Belogorsky district, Belya Skala/White Rock village, Crimea) and Ernes Seytosmanov (Sevastopol, Balaklava district, Tylovoye village—a suburb of Sevastopol in Crimea). At the time, the FSB announced that it had dismantled another Hizb ut-Tahrir cell in Crimea.
  • On 15 March 2023, the Southern District Military Court sentenced Abdulvapov to 10.5 years’ imprisonment. He was found guilty of participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation (part 2 of article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code) and preparation for a violent seizure of power (article 278 with article 30.1 of the Criminal Code). In November of the same year, the Military Court of Appeal upheld the sentence.
  • According to the court’s decision, he is to spend the first three years of his sentence in prison and the remainder in a strict regime colony. Thus, he has already served the prison part of his sentence.
  • The charges against Abdulvapov are based on the testimony of a secret witness, “Ismailov.” This person told the court that they had met the defendant in 2015 at the home of Imam Raif Fevizov, who was later sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in a Hizb ut-Tahrir case. According to the witness, the imam would gather a group of Muslims to discuss religious matters and ways to attract new members to the organisation. The witness described Abdulvapov as “knowledgeable in ideology.”