The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group revealed the increasing political and religious persecution of Muslims in Crimea in a report published on Monday.
The report discusses how the treatment of Muslim groups in Crimea (especially Crimean Tartar Muslims) has worsened in the past decade as Russia has become increasingly bold in its repression of opposition. According to the report, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSD) started its “conveyer belt of persecution” in 2015, due to their vocal opposition to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. Akhtem Chiygoz, a Crimean Tatar Mejlis leader, was arrested in 2015 on allegedly fabricated terrorism charges, and the lack of an international political response emboldened Russia. After Chiygoz’s arrest, four other Crimean Muslims were arrested in 2015 after armed “searches” and imprisoned on allegedly fabricated terrorism charges. One of these men, Ruslan Zeytullaev, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his fabricated terrorist activity.
The report also observed the increasing use of lengthy sentences to silent civil activists, together with their family members and friends following Chiygoz’s sentence. To guarantee convictions, the FSD allegedly used “fabricated evidence from FSB-loyal ‘experts’ and anonymous witnesses whose testimony cannot be verified” in order to frame Crimean Muslims of terrorism.
The report further added that the Russian Supreme Court issued a secretive and baseless ruling labelling the transnational Muslim organization Hizb ut-Tahrir as “terrorist,” offering no evidence to support the designation in 2023. While the group is known for its controversial ideology, it is legal in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Moscow has consistently relied on these unfounded accusations of alleged ties to Hizb ut-Tahrir to impose harsh sentences, of up to 20 years, on Crimean Tatars and other Ukrainian Muslims from Crimea.
Russia’s application of its domestic laws to occupied Ukrainian territory may violate international law. Under international humanitarian law, occupying powers do not acquire sovereign rights to the occupied territories. Thus, the introduction of new legislation in occupied territories is limited to the maintenance of public order, genuine security of the occupying power, the fulfilment of international obligations and the enhancement of civil life in the territory.
