11 August 2026

Four Years of Imprisonment: Political Prisoner Vilen Temeryanov Remains Detained

On this day four years ago, at 4:00 a.m., Russian law enforcement officers searched the residence of Vilen Temeryanov, a correspondent for the Crimean Solidarity human rights movement.

During the search, officers seized all of his devices, including mobile phones and laptops. At the time of his detention, Temeryanov was the primary caregiver for his youngest son, a six-year-old suffering from a severe heart condition.

On the same day, searches were also conducted at the homes of other Crimean Tatars. They were all subsequently accused of participation in the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Russia designated as “terrorist” and banned in 2003, and, following the occupation of Ukrainian territories, illegally extended its legislation to them. The main “evidence” in the case was an audio recording of their alleged conversation in a mosque in 2015.

In 2025, the occupiers sentenced Vilen Temeryanov on fabricated charges of alleged “terrorism” and “violent seizure of power” to 14 years of imprisonment. At the same time, during the judicial review, the lawyers and defendants were not able to review the materials that the court sent for expert evaluation.

“I am a Muslim and a journalist. Studying reality all these years, I have come to the conclusion that where there is an intent to commit terror through persecution, intimidation, and the destruction of families and peace among the people, there is no room for justice,” Temeryanov said in his final statement in court.

Following his detention, Vilen Temeryanov’s health deteriorated due to inadequate detention conditions. In June of this year, he was transferred to a hospital to undergo surgery for the removal of a growth on his shoulder, but the operation was never carried out.