The Kremlin prisoner Edem Smailov has faced harsher conditions in a Russian prison.

The Kremlin prisoner, former head of the Muslim religious community “Topchikoy”, and a figure in the case of the “second Bakhchisarai group” of “Hizb ut-Tahrir”, Edem Smaилov, has been transferred from correctional colony (IK) No. 7 in the Kostroma region to IK No. 1 in Kostroma and was immediately placed in a cell-type facility (PKT).

This was reported by the wife of the political prisoner, Lilya Smaилova, as stated by “Crimean Solidarity”.

The woman learned about Edem's transfer to another colony from a message she received from the head of IK No. 1 on December 13, 2024.

The political prisoner informed lawyer Nazim Sheikhmambetov that he was moved to the new colony due to the disbanding or restructuring of the previous penitentiary institution. He was allegedly placed in the PKT due to serious violations of the established order of serving his sentence, which had been assigned to him while in IK No. 7. There, since February 2024, he had been held under strict confinement conditions (SUS) with breaks for being in a punishment isolation cell (SHIZO) and PKT.

Sheikhmambetov believes that the administration of IK No. 7 imposed punishment on Smaилov for fabricated reasons. For instance, when he went to the restroom at night, washed his face, and performed namaz, he was given 14 days of punishment. Another 14 days were assigned because the Muslim hung a towel on his bed.

Before his arrest in occupied Crimea in May 2018, Edem Smaилov led the religious community “Topchikoy”, organized religious celebrations, and participated in them.

In September 2020, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Smaилov to 13 years in prison for participating in the activities of the organization “Hizb ut-Tahrir”, which is banned in the Russian Federation but operates freely under the laws of many countries worldwide, including Ukraine.

On March 14, 2022, the appellate military court in the Moscow region city of Vlasikha largely denied the defense's appeals and upheld the sentences for the figures of the “second Bakhchisarai group” with little change. Only one charge against civil journalist Seyran Saliev was dropped, reducing his sentence by one year to 15 years in prison. At the same time, the acquittal of Crimean Tatar activist and civil journalist Ernus Ametov was overturned.

Earlier, ZMINA reported that Crimean Tatar human rights defender and political prisoner Riza Izetov, sentenced by the occupation court to 19 years of imprisonment, has been held in a punishment isolation cell in correctional colony No. 1 of the Republic of Sakha since December 6, 2024.