Emir-Usein Kuku
Emir-Usein Kuku, born 1976, Occupied territory of Republic of Crimea. Charges: Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization); Article 278 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Preparing for violent seizure of power or alteration of the constitutional order); Article 282 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code (Incitement of hatred or enmity); “The case of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Yalta”. Sentence (November 11, 2019): 12 years' deprivation of liberty in a strict regime colony with restriction of liberty for 1 year. Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since February 12, 2016; place of detention: Penal colony No. 16, Bashkortostan. Recognition: Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, April 5, 2022; Amnesty International — recognised as a prisoner of conscience, October 2, 2019.
In brief
Occupied territory of Republic of Crimea · Yalta · Human rights defenders · Terrorism cases, Extremism cases, Cases against Hizb ut-Tahrir
Sentence
12 years
deprivation of liberty in a strict regime colony with restriction of liberty for 1 year
Upheld February 15, 2022
Charges
- Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization
- Article 278 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Preparing for violent seizure of power or alteration of the constitutional order
- Article 282 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code — Incitement of hatred or enmity
Full wording of the charges
incited national hatred by posting on Facebook
Latest event
April 5, 2022 — recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial Human Rights Centre
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial Human Rights Centre, April 5, 2022
- Recognised as a prisoner of conscience — Amnesty International, October 2, 2019
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, March 11, 2018
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Memorial Human Rights Centre, February 28, 2018
Timeline
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· Cassation ruling
upheld
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 12 years
· Recognised as a prisoner of conscience
Amnesty International
· Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners
· Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· 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 Yalta
Criminal case
The case of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Yalta
Other defendants in the case
- Muslim Aliyev — Imprisoned, 19 years
- Refat Alimov — At large, 8 years
- Inver Bekirov — Imprisoned, 18 years
- Arsen Jepparov — At large, 7 years
- Vadim Siruk — Imprisoned, 12 years
Thematic group: Yalta case of Hizb ut-Tahrir
Write a letter
Facility: Penal colony No. 16, Bashkortostan
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
453256, Республика Башкортостан, г.Салават-6, ФКУ «ИК № 16 УФСИН по Республике Башкортостан», Куку Эмир-Усеин Кемалович, 1976 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
Crimean Tatar human rights activist Emir-Usein Kuku was detained on 11 February 2016 during mass searches and detentions in Crimea. He was arrested on suspicion of participation in the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned as a terrorist organisation. In July 2016, he was placed in a special block of the pre-trial detention centre as a "dangerous person under investigation".
On 12 November 2019, he was sentenced to 12 years in a strict regime colony.
The day after the verdict, Kuku was placed in a punishment cell due to the fact that in the evening of the previous day he fell asleep in his cell and did not come out for the evening recount.
In January 2020, it became known that Kuku was placed in a special cell in pre-trial detention centre No. 3 in Rostov Oblast.
Earlier it was reported that a case of incitement to national hatred was opened on Kuku because of publications on Facebook. On 30 November 2015, he was summoned for questioning by the Investigative Committee. Even publications made before the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation were subject to review; as a result, 42 publications were selected. It was claimed that the materials of the case include, in particular, a video with appeals to the Muslims of Crimea in different languages, reports on the losses of the Russian armed forces in Syria, statements of the Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev about the upcoming repressions, a speech by Maksim Shevchenko in defence of Muslims, a photograph of a road sign with the inscription "Russia go away. Unutma, it was so". However, the information about the opening of the case was not confirmed.
In April 2015, Kuku was already prosecuted for publications in the social network "Odnoklassniki": a search was conducted, books were confiscated, he was taken to the FSB office for questioning, and was beaten all the way. The case on the fact of injury (the doctor recorded a bruised kidney) was not opened.
On 26 June 2018, Kuku began an indefinite hunger strike. After 24 days, he ended the hunger strike. According to Kuku's lawyer, the state of his health during this time significantly deteriorated: kidney and pancreas pains began. In June 2023, Kuku was urgently taken from the colony to the hospital with a kidney attack and operated on.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Other
Sources (4)
- Memorial Human Rights Centre — Recognised as a political prisoner
- Amnesty International — Recognised as a prisoner of conscience
- Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
- Memorial Human Rights Centre — Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Other people prosecuted under Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.