Crimean Tatar civilian journalist Remzi Bekirov is sent to the punishment cell in IK-33 in Abakan (Khakassia) for reading namaz. The administration interprets this as a violation of the internal regulations.

“If earlier he was sent to the punishment cell for reading namaz standing, now he is sent there even if he reads sitting. They do not allow him to read [namaz] at all,” complained the wife of the political prisoner, Khalide Bekirova.

Earlier, a court in Crimea rejected Remzi Bekirov’s claim against the colony administration for placing him in a punishment cell for five days as punishment for performing morning namaz. Over the course of six months, he was placed in the punishment cell seven times for formal reasons: he did not greet an employee, did not put on a hat, prayed at the wrong time.

In March 2022, the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Remzi Bekirov to 19 years in prison. He was found guilty of participating in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation.

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.