Eskender Abdulganiev
Eskender Abdulganiev, born 1997, Occupied territory of Republic of Crimea. Charges: Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization); “The case of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Krasnogvardeisk district”. Sentence (November 2, 2020): 12 years' imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony. Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since February 15, 2019; place of detention: Penal colony No. 41, Kemerovo Oblast. Recognition: Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, February 5, 2020; Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, March 27, 2019.
In brief
Occupied territory of Republic of Crimea · Simferopol · Manual workers · Terrorism cases, Cases against Hizb ut-Tahrir
Sentence
12 years
imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony
Upheld October 31, 2021
Charges
- Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization
Full wording of the charges
Participated in the activities of a terrorist organisation
Latest event
January 14, 2026 — imprisonment begins
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, February 5, 2020
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Memorial Human Rights Centre, March 27, 2019
Timeline
· Imprisonment begins
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 12 years
· Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Pre-trial Detention Centre №1 (SIZO-1) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol
· Persecution begins
The case of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Krasnogvardeisk district
Criminal case
The case of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Krasnogvardeisk district
Other defendants in the case
- Arsen Abkhairov — Imprisoned, 13 years
- Rustem Emiruseinov — Imprisoned, 17 years
Thematic group: The case of "Hizb ut-Tahrir" in Krasnogvardeyskiy District
Write a letter
Facility: Penal colony No. 41, Kemerovo Oblast
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
652059, Кемеровская область, г. Юрга, ул. Окрайная, д. 1, ИК-41, ФКУ «ИК № 41 ГУФСИН России по Кемеровской области», Абдулганиев Эскендер Изетович, 1997 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
On 14 February 2019, he was detained in Krasnogvardeyskiy district of Crimea and the next day taken into custody by court order on charges of participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation due to alleged involvement in the Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir. On 3 November 2020, he was sentenced to 12 years in a strict regime penal colony. On 16 April 2021, the court of appeals returned the case to the court of first instance to eliminate procedural violations. On 1 November, the verdict was confirmed.
In September 2023, it became known that Abdulganiev was not counted the time spent in custody before the sentence came into force towards the time spent in prison: according to his defence counsel's calculations, he should have already been transferred from prison to a strict regime penal colony.
Other people prosecuted under Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.