15 July 2026

Cancer-stricken Crimean political prisoner Tofik Abdulgaziev has been transferred from a separate cell to a medical ward

Crimean political prisoner and activist Tofik Abdulgaziev, who has been held in Specialized Tuberculosis Hospital No. 3 in Chelyabinsk since March 2024, has been transferred from a separate cell to the medical ward. The man’s health continues to worsen, he can barely move, and he suffers from constant nausea and dizziness.

This was reported by his wife, Aliye Abdulgazieva. She noted that a follow-up medical examination is scheduled for July 30 to confirm the presence of a brain tumor. If the diagnosis is officially confirmed, it could serve as grounds for his release.

“Unfortunately or fortunately, Tofik has every reason to be released. The price of this freedom is his life,” his wife wrote.

Before to his unlawful arrest, Tofik Abdulgaziev dedicated his life to helping others: he supported the families of Kremlin-held political prisoners, organized events for their children through the “Crimean Childhood” project, worked as a sound engineer, and was an active member of the “Crimean Solidarity” movement.

In March 2019, Russian security forces raided his home. Tofik was arrested under the fabricated case of the “Hizb ut-Tahrir” organization – which Russia designated as “terrorist” and banned in 2003, subsequently and unlawfully extending this legislation to occupied Ukrainian territories – and, in May 2022, was sentenced to 12 years in a strict-regime penal colony. While in detention, his health was completely shattered: in May 2024, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and later, with cancer. On July 27, a court is scheduled to consider his defense team’s petition for release due to his critical health condition, however, the family has almost no illusions about russian “justice”.