A Crimean Tatar journalist was taken from pretrial detention center for surgery; his family doesn't know where he is

Citizen journalist Vilen Temeryanov, sentenced to 14 years in prison, has been transferred from Rostov-on-Don's Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 to a hospital. This was reported by his wife, Elmaz Temeryanova.

Elmaz learned of her husband's whereabouts from the wife of one of his cellmates. She doesn't know Vilen's exact location. According to her, she was told that her husband had been taken for surgery to remove a lipoma, the existence of which she had previously been unaware.

An attempt to obtain information by phone from Rostov-on-Don's Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 was unsuccessful. Staff refused to provide information, but upon learning of a possible transfer to a hospital, advised the prisoner to contact them directly. The Multidisciplinary Hospital for Prisoners (MOTB-19) stated that they would provide information only after an official request.

Elmaz Temeryanova expressed concern over her lack of contact with her husband, which had been interrupted for more than two weeks, and lamented that waiting for an official response could take a long time.

As a reminder, the case against the "first Dzhankoy group," which includes Enver Krosh, Vilen Temeryanov, Rinat Aliyev, Seityaga Abbozov, and Edem Bekirov, was opened in August 2022. They were arrested on charges of involvement in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia.

The key evidence in the case was an audio recording from 2015, which featured discussions of religious rituals (prayer and fasting). Lawyer Emil Kurbedinov noted that the recording was retrieved from the archives eight years later and contains no mention of terrorism or extremism, calling into question the validity of the criminal cases.

In November 2025, the court sentenced the Crimean Tatars: Enver Krosh received 19 years, Edem Bekirov and Rinat Aliyev received 15 years each, Vilen Temeryanov received 14 years, and Seityaga Abbozov received 13 years in prison.

Последние новости
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
Politics
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
29 July 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that Russia’s restrictions on Armenian exports are calling into question the future of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying the dispute could mark “the beginning of the end” for the Moscow-led bloc if it is not resolved soon.

Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Politics
Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
29 July 2026

The Pacific island nation of Nauru has severed diplomatic relations with the self-proclaimed entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, effectively revoking its earlier recognition of their "independence." The Georgian Foreign Ministry announced the move.

Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
Society
Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
29 July 2026

An attack on the family of a Meskhetian Muslim in the southern Georgian town of Akhaltsikhe has raised questions about the police response. The victims say more than ten men assaulted the local mosque’s imam, Shevket Dvalidze, but only two suspects were detained and later released on bail. Human rights groups are calling for investigators to examine whether the attack was motivated by ethnic, linguistic and religious hatred.

Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
Human rights
Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
29 July 2026

The international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the sentences handed down to staff members of the Azerbaijani YouTube channel Toplum TV, describing them as further evidence of the persecution of independent journalists in the country.