Since the beginning of the "SVO", the number of parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Crimea has decreased eightfold. Of the 49 communities, only six have survived for eight years of occupation. This was reported at the OSCE Human Dimension Conference by Sabina Ilyas, co-coordinator of the human rights organization "Crimea.SOS".
In addition, the Russian Ministry of Justice is going to liquidate the religious community of Crimean Tatar Muslims "Alushta". The Ministry's claims are related to the fact that Lenur Khalilov and Ruslan Mesutov, who were convicted in cases of participation in the Islamic party "Hizb ut-Tahrir", were untimely excluded from the community. In addition, administrative cases were opened against Alushta under the article on dissemination of extremist materials (Article 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), and against its imam Yusuf Ashirov – under the article on illegal missionary work (Article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).
The human rights activist also drew attention to the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, against whom more than 30 criminal cases have already been opened.
