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The health of Crimean Tatar activists Server Mustafayev, Osman Arifmemetov and Vilen Temeryanov, who have been convicted in cases related to Hizb ut-Tahrir, is deteriorating in Russian detention facilities. This was reported by ZMINA, a fact also highlighted by Krym.Realii.

Relatives of those imprisoned told ZMINA that they are experiencing the worsening of chronic illnesses, which have arisen due to inadequate detention conditions and denial of medical care in prisons, penal colonies and pre-trial detention centres.

For example, Server Mustafayev, who is serving a 14-year sentence, suffers from numerous musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, he is experiencing chest pains, thyroid problems and impaired vision. In February, Mustafayev spoke about back pain he developed while being held under strict regime conditions, as well as skin peeling on his elbows and face. At that time, he also reported a shortage of medical staff in the colony.

In 2020, citizen journalist and “Crimean Solidarity” activist Server Mustafayev, along with six others in the Bakhchisarai Hizb ut-Tahrir case, was sentenced to various prison terms. He was found guilty of participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation (part 2, article 205.5 of the Criminal Code) and preparation for a violent seizure of power (article 278 with the application of part 1, article 30 of the Criminal Code). He is currently being held in Penal Colony No. 1 in Tambov (a city southeast of Moscow).

According to journalists, another Crimean Tatar activist, Osman Arifmemetov, who is also serving a 14-year sentence, has a kidney disorder, joint arthrosis, and prostatitis. In addition, he has damage to his lower limbs. In autumn 2024, Arifmemetov told his mother that he had lost 22 kilograms while in custody due to poor nutrition in prison.

Arifmemetov has been in detention since March 2019. At that time, he and 22 other Crimean Tatars were placed in pre-trial detention in the second Simferopol Hizb ut-Tahrir case. In November 2022, Arifmemetov was convicted of participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation and preparation for violent seizure of power. He served the first part of his sentence in a prison in Minusinsk (a city in Siberia). He is now in transfer to a penal colony.

Crimean activist Vilen Temeryanov has lost almost all his teeth, according to ZMINA. He is in urgent need of dental care. At the end of 2023, Temeryanov’s spouse also reported that his eyesight had rapidly deteriorated while held in the pre-trial detention centre.

Temeryanov and five other Crimean Tatars were detained in August 2022. Their case, related to alleged links with Hizb ut-Tahrir, is currently being heard by the Southern District Military Court. At a hearing in early June, the prosecution requested a 13-year sentence for Temeryanov. He is now in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don (a city in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border).

On 6 August Server Mustafayev continues to suffer from back pain and is not receiving medical treatment at Penal Colony No. 1 in Tambov. This was reported by “Crimean Solidarity,” citing his wife, human rights defender Maya Mustafayeva.

According to her, back in February, a prison neurologist prescribed Mustafayev an X-ray and injections. She recommended he attend a follow-up appointment after the X-ray. However, neither the scan nor the injections have been provided. His family is sending him pain relief medication for his lower back.

Maya Mustafayeva also clarified that her husband remains housed in a strict supervision barrack (SUS). News about his transfer from a standard barrack to SUS emerged in February last year.

  • The Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir is classified as a “terrorist organisation” in Russia. Its members are prosecuted and sentenced to real prison terms mainly on the grounds of gathering in private flats, reading religious literature and recruiting new members. According to the “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial” project, the party has been wrongly designated as “terrorist” in Russia. The SOVA Research Centre, in contrast, considers that the ban was not without cause, but that prosecution on grounds of association with the party, in the absence of other terrorism-related charges, often results in disproportionately harsh sentences.