October 20, 2026, 10:54 AMRSSRU

Emir-Usein Kuku

ImprisonedChecked October 18, 2026

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

Verdict November 11, 2019

Upheld February 15, 2022

Charges

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

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

  2. · Cassation ruling

    upheld

  3. · First-instance verdict

    guilty verdict · 12 years

  4. · Recognised as a prisoner of conscience

    Amnesty International

  5. · Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion

    Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners

  6. · Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

Criminal case

The case of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Yalta

Other defendants in the case

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.

Address checked October 18, 2026

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

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)

Other people prosecuted under Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code

Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.

All 370 under this article →