Russian security forces detain Muslims outside Crimea mosque

In the temporarily occupied Crimea’s Simferopol, Russian law enforcers conducted a raid outside a local mosque, demanding that worshipers produce their IDs and detaining some of them.

This is reported by a rights initiative “Tribunal. The Crimean episode” via Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

"Russian Guardsmen and operatives with the Center for Countering Extremism are IDing people coming out of the mosque on the outskirts of Simferopol after a Friday prayer. Some are detained but their legal status remains unclear," the report reads.

It is noted that unprovoked mass checks and even more so detentions violate the rights and freedoms of local citizens, while any detentions after a religious ceremony points to persecution on religious grounds. According to the Rome Statute, which governs the International Tribunal in its judgments, such actions are seen as crimes against humanity.

It was previously reported that in the temporarily occupied Crimea, over the nine months of 2023, the Russian occupation authorities arrested 182 citizens, of which 122 were Crimean Tatars.