The Southern District Military Court passed a verdict in the case of Crimean Tatars Rustem Murasov, Rustem Tairov, Jebbar Bekirov and Zavur Abdulayev, Crimean Solidarity reports. They are on trial for participating in and organizing the activities of the Islamic political organization “Hizb ut-Tahrir”, which is banned in Russia but operates freely in Ukraine and other countries around the world.
Before the arrest, the activists participated in the public life of the Crimean Tatar people. In court, political prisoners spoke about the bias and injustice of the Russian authorities, judicial and law enforcement system. Crimean Muslims came in protest t-shirts with the inscriptions: “Faith and perseverance are stronger than the sword of tyrants”, “Deportation continues”, “Faith is not terrorism”.
Bekirov was found guilty of organizing the activities of a terrorist organization, as well as of preparing to seize power. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison. He must spend the first four years in prison, and the rest of the term in a high-security prison. Tairov, Murasov and Abdulayev were sentenced to 12 years in prison each.
The day before in Crimea, new mass searches were conducted in the houses of Crimean Tatars in the Simferopol, Bakhchisarai districts of Crimea and in the Balaklava, Nakhimiv districts of Sevastopol.
