Police twice detained the relatives of arrested Crimean Tatar women traveling to Moscow to meet with the ombudsman.

Russian authorities are preventing the parents of Crimean Tatar women from meeting with the ombudsman in Moscow. A delegation from Crimea traveling to meet with the human rights ombudsman was detained twice by police en route to the capital.

The first incident occurred in the Voronezh Region, where passengers were taken to police stations without explanation for document checks and the purpose of their trip. The second detention occurred in the Lipetsk Region, where the delegation members were threatened with special forces and detention followed by "questioning for extremism." The group includes the parents of the arrested Esma Nimetulayeva, Elviza Aliyeva, Nasiba Saidova, and Fevziye Osmanova, as well as a lawyer and elders of the Crimean Tatar people.

The arrests occurred amid an appeal against the arrest of Crimean Tatar women undergoing forensic psychiatric evaluations. The court hearings were held behind closed doors.

Nimetulayeva, Aliyeva, Saidova, and Osmanova were arrested following searches on October 15 on charges of involvement with the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir.

This is the first Hizb ut-Tahrir case brought in Crimea in which women are accused. The party operates legally in many countries, including Ukraine. Human rights activists link the criminal prosecution of Crimean Tatars to their civic stance and protests against repression.