In a Russian prison, the Quran in Arabic is being confiscated from Muslims, according to political prisoner Vadim Siruk.

Crimean political prisoner Vadim Siruk reported that in correctional colony No. 2 in Bashkortostan (Russia), the Koran in Arabic is being confiscated from Muslim inmates.

This was reported by writes “Crimean Solidarity,” citing information from the wife of the Kremlin prisoner, Anna Bogacheva.

The man shared this information with his family during a conversation via the prison communication service “Zonatelecom.”

During the confiscation, the guards explained their actions by stating that the Arabic Koran is “prohibited due to a directive from the authorities,” Siruk specified. The Koran belonging to the political prisoner was also taken away despite the fact that it had previously been checked and bore all necessary stamps.

Another political prisoner, Teymur Abdullayev, who is in correctional colony No. 2 in Salavat, also reported restrictions on Muslims regarding the possession of the Koran. Back in late December of last year, he wrote to lawyer Emil Kurbedinov that he had been placed in solitary confinement (SHIZO), but was prohibited from taking the Arabic Koran into his cell as this was banned by the local office of the Federal Penitentiary Service.

Abdullayev, along with other inmates, sent an appeal to the Russian prosecutor's office, which responded that the prohibition on taking the Koran into SHIZO was illegal.

In a comment to “Crimean Solidarity,” Kurbedinov stated that, judging by Siruk's words, the confiscation of the Koran in the colony is carried out “solely based on some personal opinions of the management, including the higher authorities – the FSIN.”

“Prohibited books are clearly defined in the relevant register and marked as extremist. If such a book is indeed in the register and has been banned by a court, then I understand the logic even more. But regarding the holy book of Muslims, how it has hindered them, what they have imagined about it – one can only speculate,” the lawyer explained.

He noted that he considers the actions of the Russian colony authorities to be illegal and causing “certain moral suffering to Muslims.”

It is worth recalling that Vadim Siruk is a figure in the “Yalta group” in the case of “Hizb ut-Tahrir,” which human rights defenders named based on geographical principles, along with Refat Alimov, Arsen Jepparov, Muslim Aliyev, Enver Bekirov, and Emir-Husein Kuku.

On November 12, 2019, the final court hearing took place in Rostov-on-Don, where they were sentenced. It lasted only 14 minutes.

All defendants were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a strict regime colony: Alimov – eight years with one year of restriction of freedom, Aliyev – 19 years with one year of restriction of freedom, Bekirov – 18 years with one year of restriction of freedom, Siruk – 12 years with one year of restriction of freedom, Jepparov – seven years with one year of restriction of freedom, Kuku – 12 years with one year of restriction of freedom.

The international human rights organization Amnesty International recognized all members of the “Yalta group” as prisoners of conscience and has repeatedly conducted public campaigns in their support.

Previously, ZMINA reported that the illegally sentenced Crimean activist Vadim Siruk has dental problems and frequently falls ill due to the cold in IK-2 Salavat, Republic of Bashkortostan (Russia).