~Russia illegally detains 25,000 Kremlin prisoners

According to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, this is the number of civilians abducted by the Russian Federation.

The ZMINA Human Rights Centre has found that at least 21 prisoners require urgent medical care and may die unless they receive it.

During the full-scale invasion, the National Police began investigating the enforced disappearance of 8,800 people. Russian Children's Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova claims Russia has illegally abducted over 700,000 children from Ukraine.

The Media Initiative for Human Rights has identified about one hundred places where abducted civilians are held.

The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Qırım) confirms 217 illegally imprisoned Ukrainian citizens, 132 of whom are Qırımtatarlar.

During the full-scale war, 3,445 Ukrainian citizens were returned to Ukraine, including 160 civilians.

The so-called supreme court of the “DPR” sentenced the captured Azov resident Artem Synelnykov to 27 years in prison, Zmina reports.

Artem Synelnykov served under contract in the operational company of the National Guard of Ukraine, the Azov Brigade. He defended Mariupol and was captured by the Russians in May 2022.

The man was accused of allegedly brutalizing civilians and premeditated murder committed by a group of people for reasons of political and ideological hatred. According to the judges' verdict, Artem will have to serve his sentence in a strict regime colony.

On September 11, 2024, Russians sentenced Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Malovychok to 24 years in prison on similar charges. 

An illegal court in the temporarily occupied Donetsk has accused Mariupol defenders Yevhen Nazarovskyi and Mykhailo Sukhaniuk of allegedly mistreating civilians and killing two women. Zmina reports.

During the full-scale invasion, Nazarovskyi (Kaien) and Sukhaniuk (Dumkan) were serving under contract as mortar crew members in the Azov. The men participated in the defense of Mariupol. 

According to the so-called investigation, on March 4, 2022, the commander of a mortar battery, Major Arsen Dmytryk, decided to scare the civilian population and ordered his subordinates Nazarovskyi and Sukhaniuk to indiscriminately shell residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in the Skhidnyi district of Mariupol. As a result of the alleged execution of this order, two women were allegedly mortally wounded. 

The Ukrainian commander Dmytryk, who allegedly gave this order, was sentenced in absentia to life in prison and “put on the international wanted list” by the Russians.

On September 13, the Vlasikha Court of Appeal upheld the Southern District Military Court verdict. Oleksandr Sizikov was sentenced to 17 years in prison. The next day, police took the man from his home and took him to an unknown destination, according to Crimean Solidarity. 

According to the lawyer Lili Hemedzhi, who managed to contact Oleksandr, the police refused to show his mother the military court of appeal ruling, saying that “they do not have such a ruling.” They threatened to use force against Sizikov and bring him to justice for “failure to comply with the lawful demands of law enforcement officers.” It was discovered that Oleksandr is now in a temporary detention center in Bakhchysarai(Bağçasaray).

Oleksandr Sizikov was detained on July 7, 2020, during mass searches in Crimea(Qırım). As a result of the accident, he completely lost his eyesight and was placed under house arrest. All of the detainees that day were accused of involvement in the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. In Ukraine and most European countries, the organization operates without restrictions at the level of national legislation.

On May 17, 2023, the Southern District Military Court sentenced blind Oleksandr Sizikov to 17 years in prison. In September of this year, the Court of Appeal upheld the sentence. 

Political prisoner Aziz Akhtemov has been transferred from prison №2 in Yeniseisk, Krasnoyarsk Krai. Crimean Solidarity reported this referring to the political prisoner's wife, Adile.

According to her, she cannot find out where her husband is — the phones of prison №2 do not answer. In response to an email to the institution, she received a refusal to provide this information, arguing that they are not allowed to share such information with third parties.

Aziz Akhtemov has been held in Yeniseisk prison since November last year. He, like his cousin Asan, is a Crimean Tatar activist. In 2021, Aziz and Asan Akhtemov, as well as the Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Nariman Dzhelal, were detained on suspicion of blowing up a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalne. Later, Aziz was additionally accused of “illegal transportation of explosives by an organized group across the customs border.” Akhtemov was sentenced to 13 years in prison, a fine of 500 thousand rubles, and restriction of freedom of movement for one year.

After serving their sentence, the men must regularly report to the controlling authorities, and they have no right to leave their place of residence, move between regions, or change their place of work without the permission of the Federal Penitentiary Service.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in Moscow considered the cassation appeal against the verdict in the case of the “second Bakhchysarai group” and upheld the sentence of Ernest Ibrahimov and Oleh Fedorov. The men will continue to serve their sentences of 13 years each. Crimean Solidarity reported this, referring to lawyer Lilia Hemedzhi.

According to Hemedzhi, the defense argued in court that the decisions of the first and second instances were illegal, as they were based on the law of 2003, which had lost its force. The defense lawyer believes the verdict should be canceled, and Ernest Ibrahimov and Oleh Fedorov should be acquitted. However, the court ignored these arguments and upheld the ruling.

Before the court hearing, Ernest Ibrahimov could tell his defense lawyers about the conditions of his detention. He works at the Balashov prison in the Saratov region (Russian Federation), making shoes for prisoners, prison staff, and the Federal Penitentiary Service. Prisoners also have the opportunity to order literature from the library. Together with Ibragimov, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan who speaks English, is in the cell. Thanks to this, they are able to receive objective information from news channels.

Ernest Ibrahimov and Oleh Fedorov were recognized as alleged members of the political party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was recognized as a “terrorist” organization by the Russian Supreme Court in 2003. They were accused of alleged terrorist activities. According to the investigation, the political prisoners allegedly met in secret meetings to discuss banned literature. 

They are to spend the first three and a half years of the 13 years in prison, after which they will be transferred to a penal colony. They were also sentenced to a year of restricted freedom after their release.

Crimean Imam Raif Fevziev, sentenced to 17 years in prison, declared the recusal of the entire composition of the Military Court of Appeal in Vlasikha. He did this during the consideration of his appeal against the verdict of the court of first instance. This was reported by Crimean Solidarity, referring to Fevziev's lawyer Edem Semedliaiev.

At the court hearing, the political prisoner filed motions, in one of which he asked for an interpreter from Russian into Crimean Tatar. The court denied the request. Judge Sergey Butusov stated that Fevziev “understands Russian correctly and can express his thoughts in it”.

In response to the denial of the petition, Crimean Tatar Raif Fevziev recused himself from the judicial panel. 

Raif Fevziev is an imam, Crimean Tatar activist, and father of many children. On August 17, 2021, FSB (Federal Security Service — ed.) officers searched his home, preventing his lawyer from being present. The man was arrested and sent to a pre-trial detention center.

As a means of pressure, the imam was placed in a cell with four people convicted of murder.

During his year in prison, the imam began to have problems with blood pressure, cardiovascular system, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system. The political prisoner was not provided with proper medical care.

Secret witnesses gave the main testimony in the case of the imam. One of them was a certain “Ismailov”. According to the lawyer, the prosecution could not ensure the witness's appearance in court for a long time, as the person who testified during the preliminary investigation could not be found. Therefore, he was replaced by another person.

The Southern District Military Court has interrogated defense witnesses in the “second Dzhankoi group” case. According to Crimean Solidarity, citing lawyer Lili Hemedzhi, the participant's wife in the case of Leman ZekerIaev, Zera Dzhelileva, and his two brothers spoke in court. 

Zera Dzhelileva said that during a search in one of the cars parked near their house, one of the officers took out two books from under his outerwear and planted them on the couple. The woman noted this in the search report. In addition, Zera Dzhelileva pointed out violations by the security forces during the search. They were not explained their rights and obligations, the search warrant was read illegibly and quietly, and the investigator was not in the room where his subordinates conducted the search.

Before his arrest, Leman Zekeriaiev worked in a construction crew. He is the father of three young children.

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea(Qırım) ordered the Kirovsky District Court of Simferopol(Aqmescit) to accept the appeal of lawyer Emil Kurbedinov in the case of Emine Zekeriaieva, a Crimean Tatar woman fined 50 thousand rubles for “failure to inform”. Crimean Solidarity reported this. 

According to the investigation, in 2016, Zekeriaieva communicated on VKontakte with a girl who later went to Syria, where she joined an armed group that had goals “contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation.” The Crimean Tatar woman was charged with “concealing this information” about her acquaintance during a search of Emine's home. 

Earlier, cases of failure to inform were opened against five Crimean Tatars — Rydvan Umerov, Aider Kadyrov, Aider Abliakimov, and Enver Topcha.