Ayvazov Raim Khalilovich

On March 27, 2019, in annexed Crimea, mass searches were conducted at the homes of 25 Crimean Tatar civil society activists, most of whom are members of the “Crimean Solidarity” organization. Most of the individuals involved in the case were detained on March 27, 2019; Osman Arifmemetov, Remzi Bekirov, and Vladlen Abdulkadyrov were detained on March 28, 2019, in Rostov-on-Don; Raima Aivazova was detained on April 17, 2019, and Eskender Suleimanov on June 10, 2019.

The Crimeans were charged with organizing and participating in the activities of a terrorist organization (namely, “Hizb ut-Tahrir”), as well as with preparing for a violent seizure of power.

According to the FSB, the defendants held clandestine meetings at which they studied the ideology of “Hizb ut-Tahrir,” developed plans of action, and engaged in propaganda and recruitment efforts among the population. Investigators consider Raim Aivazov, Remzi Bekirov, Riza Izetov, and Shaban Umerov to be the cell’s leaders, and the others to be members. According to his attorney, Raim Aivazov was tortured by security forces during his arrest. All defendants in the case have denied guilt and attributed the prosecution to their human rights and activist work.

The Kyiv District Court of Simferopol ordered that all defendants be held in pretrial detention.

On March 10, 2022, the Southern District Military Court found Raim Aivazov, Farhod Bazarov, Remzi Bekirov, Riza Izetov, and Shaban Umerov guilty and sentenced Bekirov and Izetov to 19 years, Umerov to 18 years, and Aivazov to 17 years (5 years in prison).

On March 28, 2023, the Military Court of Appeals upheld this sentence.

On March 18, 2022, the Southern District Military Court found Akim Bekirov, Seitveli Seytabdiev, Rustem Seytkhalilov, Ekskender Suleimanov, and Asan Yanikov guilty and sentenced each to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony, including 5 years in prison.

On July 7, 2023, the Military Court of Appeals upheld this sentence.

On May 12, 2022, the Southern District Military Court found Tofik Abdulgaziev, Vladlen Abdulkadyrov, Izzet Abdullaev, Mejit Abdurakhmanov, and Bilal Adilov guilty and sentenced Abdulgaziev, Abdulkadyr, Abdullaev, and Abdurakhmanov to 12 years in a strict-regime penal colony, with the first 5 years to be served in prison and a 1-year restriction on freedom following their release. The court sentenced Adilov to 14 years in prison, with the first 5 years to be served in prison and 1.5 years of restricted freedom.

On May 17, 2023, the Military Court of Appeals upheld this sentence.

On November 24, 2022, the Southern District Military Court found Enver Ametov, Yashar Muedinov, Ruslan Suleimanov, Osman Arifmemetov, and Rustem Sheikhaliev guilty and sentenced Ametov and Muedinov to 13 years in a strict-regime penal colony, Suleimanov, Sheikhaliev, and Arifmemetov to 14 years; all of them must serve the first four years in prison. In addition, the court imposed one year of restricted freedom on each of them following their release from prison.

On February 1, 2024, the Military Court of Appeals upheld this sentence.

On January 11, 2023, the Southern District Military Court found Servet Gaziev, Dzhemil Gafarov, Alim Karimov, Seiran Murtazu, and Erfan Osmanov guilty and sentenced each to 13 years of imprisonment—the first 2 years in prison and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony—as well as 1 year of restricted freedom.

On February 10, 2023, one month after the sentencing, Dzhemil Gafarov died in pretrial detention.

On September 11, 2023, the Military Court of Appeals upheld the sentence.

Edem Yayachikov, Ruslan Bulgakov, Eldar Ibragimov, and Ruslan Zaurov were placed on the wanted list.