SUPREME COURT OF RUSSIA REDUCED LENGTHY SENTENCES TO PERSONS INVOLVED IN “HIZB UT-TAHRIR CASE” FROM “FIRST SIMFEROPOL GROUP” BY ONLY SIX MONTHS

Today, December 24, the Supreme Court of Russia partially upheld the appeals of the defense of the Crimeans who are tried in the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case” within the “first Simferopol group”.

According to public association Crimean Solidarity, period of detention forTeymur Abdullaev(allegedly the “organizer of the terrorist group”) was reduced from 17 years to 16 years and 6 months. He was also assigned 1 year 4 months of administrative supervision.

Sentence against his brother Uzeir Abdullaev was reduced from 13 years to 12 years and 6 months, sentence against Rustem Ismailov– from 14 years to 13 years and 6 months, sentences against Emil Dzhemadenov and Aider Salenedin were reduced from 12 years to 11 years and 6 months in a maximum security penal colony.

Russia is the only country in which Hizb ut-Tahrir (the full name Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami — the Islamic Liberation Party) has been declared a terrorist organization.

In some countries of Central Asia, the party activists are also being persecuted, but on charges not related to terrorism. In Germany, Hizb ut-Tahrir’s public activities are banned for not recognizing Israel, but its members are not persecuted.