Journalist Remzi Bekirov lost 15 kilograms while imprisoned in a Russian colony.
Crimean Tatar journalist Remzi Bekirov, unlawfully sentenced by an occupying court to 19 years in prison, has lost 15 kilograms while in correctional colony No. 33 in the Republic of Khakassia.
This was reported to "Crimean Solidarity" by his wife Halide Bekirova.
Remzi Bekirov with his family. Source: “Crimean Solidarity” For the first time in six years of imprisonment, the man was able to meet with his wife and three children during a long visit.
“The pork dishes he has to refuse, the half-portions, and the daytime restriction from approaching the bed – all of this affects Remzi's health,” Halide reported.
It should be noted that after being transferred to correctional colony No. 33 in early August 2024, Bekirov was kept almost continuously in a punishment isolation cell (PIS).
With breaks for a few days in a quarantine cell and the general block, he was placed in PIS under various pretexts: for not wearing a head covering when going outside; for not providing his identification details to a prison staff member; for not greeting a guard.
He was also given 10 days for violating the daily routine: he stepped away from his sleeping area at night to pray.
Remzi Bekirov is a civil journalist, an activist of "Crimean Solidarity," and a correspondent for the online publication “Grani.ru.” He has streamed politically motivated persecutions against the residents of the peninsula. Additionally, Remzi is the initiator of the idea of collective assistance for the families of Crimean political prisoners.
On March 27, 2019, mass searches took place in Crimea. Investigative actions were conducted in Kamyanka, Strogonovka, and Belyi – settlements in the suburbs of Simferopol, where predominantly Crimean Tatars live.
FSB officers detained 20 people at that time. Three others were arrested in Rostov-on-Don a few days later, and three were declared wanted. Later, two more Crimean Tatars were detained in connection with this case.
Crimean Tatar activists were accused of being involved with the Islamic political party “Hizb ut-Tahrir,” which is recognized as terrorist in Russia but operates without restrictions under the national laws of many countries worldwide.
The majority of those arrested are members of the human rights association “Crimean Solidarity.” Shaban Umerov, Remzi Bekirov, Riza Izetov, and Raim Ayvazov were charged under part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for organizing the activities of a terrorist organization.
On March 10, 2022, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced the defendants of the fabricated FSB second Simferopol “case of Crimean Muslims” – Crimean journalist Remzi Bekirov, human rights activist Riza Izetov, and activists Shaban Umerov, Farhad Bazarov, and Raim Ayvazov – to imprisonment for terms ranging from 15 to 19 years.
Earlier, ZMINA reported that the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation (FSIN) had already denied the transfer of Kremlin prisoner Remzi Bekirov from correctional colony No. 33 in the Republic of Khakassia to a facility closer to home for the fifth time.