Five political prisoners—Emir Kurtnezirov, Abibulla Smedlyaev, Rustem Mustafayev, Mirzali Tazhibayev, and Bakhtiyar Ablaev—have been transferred from Rostov Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 to a Novocherkassk pretrial detention center. This was announced by Emir Kurtnezirov's wife. According to her, the judge at the last hearing explained the transfer as a need to free up space in Rostov pretrial detention centers.

Previously, defendants in politically motivated cases heard by the Southern District Military Court were typically held in Rostov-on-Don pretrial detention centers. The transfer of the defendants to Novocherkassk before the end of their trial may indicate a change in prisoner placement practices due to a shortage of space in Rostov pretrial detention centers, according to Crimean Solidarity.

The Crimean Tatars were detained on February 5, 2025. Their relatives claimed that security forces planted banned literature during the searches and did not provide them with copies of the arrest reports.

The defendants are accused of involvement in the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is designated a terrorist organization in Russia. Human rights activists consider this decision unfounded, and prosecutions in such cases politically motivated.

According to human rights activists, Crimean Tatars are being persecuted not for terrorism, but for their political activism, criticism of the authorities, and disagreement with Russia's current policy toward Crimea.