Activists detained in Crimea to stay in pre-trial detention center until mid-April

"Courts" in the occupied Crimea ruled to keep in custody all six Muslim activists, detained on the morning of February 17, until mid-April.

As the Graty media outlet reports, Yashar Shikhametov was arrested by the Leninsky District "Court" of Sevastopol city till April 14. During the court hearing, he stated that FSB officers had planted three books, probably banned, during the search in his house. Lawyer Oleksiy Ladin intends to file a relevant application to the military investigation committee.

The rest of the detainees were arrested by the Kyivsky District "Court" of Simferopol city until April 15. All of them are suspected of involvement in the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic party, which has been recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia since 2003 but operates freely in Ukraine and most European countries.

As reported, on February 17, mass searches took place in Bilohirsk, Bakhchisaray, Simferopol, Sevastopol and Sovetskyi district in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Lenur Seidametov, Timur Yalkabov, Azamat Eyupov, Yashar Shikhametov, Ernest Ibrahimov and Oleh Fedorov were taken to the Federal Security Service Department in Crimea after investigative measures had been conducted in their houses. FSB investigators told relatives that the detainees were charged under Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (creation of a terrorist organization and participation in the activities of such an organization).

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