Citizen journalist Ernes Ametov was transferred to correctional colony No. 12 in the Vologda region. The distance from Crimea is about 2 thousand kilometers.

At the end of 2023, the Military Court of Appeal upheld Ernes Ametov’s sentence of 11 years in prison. Project “Support for political prisoners. Memorial recognized him as a political prisoner.

In 2017, a criminal case was opened against Ernes Ametov for “participation in a terrorist organization” - the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in the Russian Federation. After three years of arrest, the man was acquitted. And then he was detained again and sentenced to 11 years.

In the case materials there was no mention of the storage of weapons and explosives, nor of plans to commit terrorist attacks. The indictment contained only audio recordings of conversations in the mosque, in which the defendant discussed everyday, political and religious topics, and anonymous witnesses gave evidence against the Crimean Tatar.

“The trial reminded me more of a conveyor belt for rolling the lids of cans - so flawless and frighteningly fleeting, a process streamlined to perfection. As if they are not deciding the fate of a person, but are rolling out another canned food. For the court, this is just business,” noted Ernes Ametov.

The Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir was declared terrorist by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. Human rights activists believe that this decision was made unreasonably. In their opinion, members of the organization are being persecuted not for terrorism, but for actions against political repression and criticism of the Russian authorities.