10 July 2024

The Occupiers Have Illegally Transferred Crimean Political Prisoners Aider Dzhapparov and Eskender Abdulhaniiev to Russian Prisons with Stricter Conditions of Detention

Crimean political prisoner Aider Dzhapparov, illegally sentenced to 17 years in prison, was illegally transferred from the prison in Verkhnouralsk, Cheliabinsk region of the Russian Federation, to Colony №5 in Koriazhma, Arkhangelsk region of the Russian Federation. Additionally, Crimean political prisoner Eskender Abdulhaniiev, illegally sentenced to 12 years in prison, was transferred from Colony №41 in Yugra, Kemerovo region, where he was unreasonably kept in a punishment cell for five months, to Colony №29 in Kemerovo, Russia.

In February of this year, Aider Dzhapparov’s son Abdullah died of cancer at the age of 13. The occupiers did not allow the father to pay last respects and attend his son’s funeral. Notably, the prison in the Arkhangelsk region of the Russian Federation is located in a harsh climate, which can negatively affect the health of the political prisoner.

Eskender Abdulhaniiev was transferred to a colony with stricter conditions of detention. According to the political prisoner’s mother, he was transferred to the colony in the city of Kemerovo because he refused to take Russian citizenship. Eskender is kept in an isolated cell under constant video surveillance; at 5 o’clock in the morning, he is woken up, and his mattress is taken away, so he cannot even sit during the day.  His lawyers report that he is barred from meeting his family, walking, receiving parcels, and financial assistance, causing him to lose weight.

Aider Dzhapparov was illegally detained in 2019 in the case of the so-called “Bilohirsk group” along with two other political prisoners. The youngest political prisoner, Eskender Abdulhaniiev, at 21 years old, was imprisoned in 2019 after illegal searches for reporting on the persecution of Crimean activists by Russian occupiers.