Russian Supreme Court varied its sentence to Crimean Tatar Zeytullaev from 12 to 15 years in prison

The Russian Federation Supreme Court in Moscow sentenced a figurant in case «Hizb ut-Tahrir», Crimean Tatar Ruslan Zeytullayev to 15 years in prison on Thursday, July 27, 2017.

Earlier, the North Caucasian District Military Court sentenced Zeytullaev to 12 years in a strict-regime colony, but the state prosecution demanded a term extension to 17 years.

Crimean Tatar again announced his indefinite hunger strike subsequently to the court decision.

T he Ukrainian consul was also at the court hearing, but he was forbidden even to talk with a political prisoner during the break.

To remind some facts, on December 27, 2016, the Russian Federation Supreme Court quashed the sentence to Ruslan Zeytullaev and sent a case to a new trial in the North Caucasus District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don. The Crimean Tatar was accused of «organizing terrorist activities» on a peninsula. According to the state prosecution, Zeytullaev organized in Crimea a cell of «terrorist» organization «Hizb ut-Tahrir».

The prosecutor demanded to extend the term to a political prisoner from 7 years to 17.

On April 4, 2017, Zeytullaev announced a dry indefinite hunger strike and demanded to release him and other Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar political prisoners.

On April 21, 2017, he stated to continue his indefinite hunger strike, «until hearing a verdict from the judges».

To remind some facts, the Crimean Tatars Ruslan Zeytullaev, Rustem Vaitov, Nuri Primov and Ferat Sayfullaev were accused of creating and participating in Sevastopol a cell of organization «Hizb ut-Tahrir». Vaitov, Primov and Sayfullayev were sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Sayfullaev and Vaitov are serving their sentences in the Rostov colony, and Primov is in the Yasniy colony of Sovetsky district in the Mari El Republic.

PHOTO: Anton Naumlyuk