The military court of appeal in Vlasikha approved a sentence of 10.5 years in a maximum security colony for political prisoner Ametkhan Abdulvapov. The Crimean Tatar was found guilty of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code) and preparing for a violent seizure of power (Article 278 of the Criminal Code with the use of Part 1 of Article 30 of the Criminal Code).

The prosecution was based on the testimony of a hidden witness. He stated in court that he met Abdulvapov in 2015 in the house of the imam, who was later sentenced to 17 years. According to the witness, a group of Muslims gathered at the imam’s place to discuss religious issues and the possibility of attracting new students to the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization.

The Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir was recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. Its participants are accused and sentenced to real terms on the basis that they met in apartments and read religious literature. According to the SOVA Research Center and the Memorial Project, the party’s designation as terrorist in Russia is unlawful.