Russian authorities conceal whereabouts of Crimean Tatar activist Aziz Akhtemov
Akhtemov, along with his cousin, was convicted in 2021 on politically motivated charges and sentenced to 13 years.
Crimean Tatar political prisoner Aziz Akhtemov has been transferred from a prison in the Krasnoyarsk Oblast to another detention place. The Federal Penitentiary Service is refusing to inform his wife of his current location, according to “Crimean Solidarity.”
Akhtemov was held in the Yeniseisk prison since November 2023. He, along with his cousin Asan, are Crimean Tatar activists.
“Political prisoner Aziz Akhtemov was transferred from this prison No. 2 in Krasnoyarsk Oblast. The Federal Penitentiary Service has refused to inform his wife where he is now,” the organization reported.
His spouse, Adila Akhtemova, has been unable to find out where her husband is—calls to prison No. 2 are left unanswered. When she sent an electronic request to the detention facility for information on Aziz Akhtemov’s whereabouts, the facility replied that it would not provide this information.
“They justified it by stating they have the right not to give such information to third parties. Currently, there is no information about where my husband is or in which direction he was taken,” said Adila Akhtemova.
On 3-4 September 2021, Aziz and Asan Akhtemov, as well as the Deputy Head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Nariman Dzhelial, were detained on suspicion of blowing up a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalne in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Dzhelial was released from Russian captivity on 28 June 2024.
Two months later, during an investigation in Simferopol, the Federal Security Service additionally accused the Akhtemov brothers of “smuggling explosives as part of an organized group across the customs border.”
Asan Akhtemov was sentenced to 15 years in prison and received one year of restricted freedom of movement. Aziz Akhtemov was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment and one year of restricted freedom of movement.
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