The key facts
- Six Crimean residents received terms from 15 to 19 years in a penal colony; the first four years are to be spent in prison.
- The longest term (19 years) went to Ruslan Asanov, Remzi Nimetulayev received 18 years, and the other four received 15 years each.
- Amethan Umerov had $56.6 thousand seized (more than 5.3 million rubles as of August 2023), which, according to investigators, was intended to finance the cell.
Court Verdict
The Southern District Military Court sentenced six Crimean residents to imprisonment for terms from 15 to 19 years in a case of preparing a violent seizure of power and participation in a terrorist organization. This was reported by the press service of the court. According to the court, the convicted will spend the first four years in prison, after which they will be transferred to strict-regime penal colonies.
Sentences and Charges
The harshest punishment was given to Ruslan Asanov — 19 years of imprisonment. Remzi Nimetulayev was sentenced to 18 years, and Seidamet Mustafayev, Amethan Umerov, Abdulmedzhit Seitumerov, and Eldar Yakubov were each sentenced to 15 years. All six were found guilty of creating or participating in the activities of a cell of the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami, which was designated as terrorist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. All six have been included by Rosfinmonitoring in the list of terrorists and extremists.
What the Investigation Established
According to the investigation, Asanov and Nimetulayev led a group in the Bakhchysarai district, held secret meetings, and recruited new supporters. At the meetings, participants studied ideological materials and discussed changing the state structure of various countries, including Russia, in order to create a worldwide Islamic caliphate; to achieve these goals, according to investigators, both propaganda and violent methods were considered.
Items Seized During Searches
During searches, literature of the banned organization was found among the defendants. Umerov was found with $56.6 thousand, which as of August 2023 amounted to more than 5.3 million rubles; the investigation established that the money was intended to finance the activities of the local cell.
On the Suppression of the Cell's Activities
Earlier, Life.ru reported on the suppression of the activities of the organization's cell in Crimea. According to the FSB, members of the group were engaged in spreading radical ideology and recruiting local residents, and the organization's activities were aimed at creating a worldwide caliphate and the violent overthrow of the current government. During searches, banned propaganda materials, communication devices, electronic data storage devices, as well as large sums of money in rubles and foreign currency were seized from the suspects.
