Crimean Tatar Seyran Saliev was held in the punishment cell of IK-4 in the Tula region for more than four months. His wife was informed that he was recognized as a “malicious violator of the established order.”

“My husband Seyran Saliev from IK-4 in the Tula region called. At the beginning of the Holy Ramadan, Seyran was taken out of the solitary confinement cell, where he had been held since November of last year,” Mumine Salieva wrote on her Facebook page.

During his time in solitary confinement, the man lost 12 kilograms. Previously, in addition to being held in solitary confinement, he had spent at least four months in strict conditions.

Seyran Saliev is a philologist of the Turkish and Crimean Tatar languages. Before his arrest, he worked as a tour guide and journalist. In 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years on charges of involvement in the activities of the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir. It was recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation, while the organization operates freely in many countries in Europe and the world.

Since January 2015, in Crimea, which came under Russian control, they began to massively initiate criminal cases for participation in Hizb ut-Tahrir. According to human rights activists, Crimean Tatars are being persecuted not for preparing a coup d'etat and terrorism, but for criticizing the Russian authorities.