20 August 2026

Health condition of political prisoner Lenur Halilov worsening

The health of 58-year-old Crimean political prisoner Lenur Halilov is rapidly deteriorating. He suffers from liver cancer with metastases, chronic hepatitis C, hypertension, and liver and kidney cysts. Despite this, he remains imprisoned in Russia without adequate medical care and is currently being held in a prison hospital in the Arkhangelsk region.

Previously, he was only given Analgin, which failed to provide sufficient pain relief. According to his family, the prescribed anti-cancer drug Sorafenib caused severe side effects and further burdened his condition. Now, due to intense pain, Halilov has been prescribed Tramadol, an opioid painkiller.

Before his imprisonment, Lenur Halilov lived in Alushta, where he led the independent Muslim community “Alushta.” He assisted community members, organized religious events, and supported Crimean Tatars.

In June 2019, Russian security forces detained him during mass searches in Crimea. Halilov was accused of participating in Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organization recognized as “terrorist” and banned by Russia in 2003. Following the occupation of Ukrainian territories, Russia illegally extended its legislation to them.

In 2020, a Russian court sentenced him to 18 years in prison.

Due to his critical health condition, Halilov was released from further serving his sentence in 2024. However, Russia subsequently returned him to custody, effectively sending him back to a colony to die despite his severe illness.

Today, Lenur Halilov needs proper medical treatment and to be reunited with his family – not prison hospitals and painkillers. Keeping a gravely ill political prisoner without proper medical care is yet another manifestation of Russia’s cruel and illegal repressions against political prisoners.

The Mission strongly condemns this unlawful decision and calls on the international community to respond to ongoing human rights violations in the temporarily occupied Crimea, to increase political and sanctions pressure on Russia, and unite efforts to swiftly end the politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian citizens.