A recent report by the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group highlights escalating political and religious persecution of Muslims in Crimea, particularly Crimean Tatar Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report, as quoted by Jurist News, indicates that since Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea in 2014, there has been a notable increase in repression against these communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Federal Security Service (FSB) initiated a \u201cconveyor belt of persecution\u201d in 2015, targeting those opposing Russian rule. Prominent figures, such as Akhtem Chiygoz, a leader of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, were arrested on dubious terrorism charges. Following his arrest, four other Crimean Muslims faced similar fates, with Ruslan Zeytullaev receiving a 15-year prison sentence based on fabricated evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report underscores the use of lengthy sentences to silence civil activists and their families, often relying on unverifiable testimonies from FSB-affiliated \u201cexperts.\u201d In 2023, the Russian Supreme Court issued a secret ruling designating the transnational Muslim organization Hizb ut-Tahrir as \u201cterrorist,\u201d despite its legal status in Ukraine and lack of evidence for such claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This application of Russian domestic laws in occupied Ukrainian territory raises concerns about violations of international law. Under international humanitarian law, occupying powers cannot impose new legislation that undermines the rights and civil life of the occupied population. The report calls for urgent international attention and action to address these human rights abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It should be mentioned that Crimean Muslims primarily refer to the Crimean Tatars, who are a Turkic ethnic group and predominantly Sunni Muslims. They make up about 15% of Crimea’s population, with estimates of around 300,000 Crimean Tatars in Ukraine. The community has a significant diaspora in countries like Turkey and Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A recent report by the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group highlights escalating political and religious persecution of Muslims in Crimea, particularly Crimean Tatar Muslims. The report, as quoted by Jurist News, indicates that since Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea in 2014, there has been a notable increase in repression against these communities. The Federal Security Service …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":117347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"yes","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[7032],"tags":[3207,12198],"class_list":["post-117346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russia","tag-human-rights-report","tag-persecution-of-crimean-muslims"],"yoast_head":"\n