Russian occupiers have sent the case of Crimean Tatar Charaz Akimov to the ‘supreme Court,’ in occupied Crimea where it will be heard behind closed doors

The case of Crimean Tatar Charaz Akimov, a resident of Yalta, who is accused of “collaborating with a foreign organization on a confidential basis,” has been transferred to the illegitimate “supreme court” in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as reported by the Telegram channel “Tribunal. Crimean Episode,” referring to “Ukrinform.”

Photo credits: Ukrinform

According to the Russian FSB, Akimov was detained in December last year for allegedly exchanging Telegram messages about the movement of military equipment. The investigation lasted less than two months.

The “Tribunal” recalled that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of the FSB board, called for “seriously strengthening” the work of counterintelligence. In this regard, as noted in the report, an “abnormal increase in the number of criminal cases” on charges of espionage, treason and “confidential cooperation” is expected, as well as an acceleration of the pace of their “solving.”

Human rights activists point out that trials in such cases are usually held behind closed doors. Given the widespread practice of kidnapping and torture by FSB officers, the validity of the charges against Akimov raises “clear doubts.” They also point to signs of a war crime involving unlawful deprivation of liberty and restrictions on access to a fair trial.

ZMINA previously reported that a prisoner of the Kremlin, a resident of Novooleksiivka, the Kherson Oblast, Rustem Guguryk, sentenced by the occupiers to 8.5 years in a strict regime colony for alleged participation in the “volunteer battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhikhan”, lost hearing in his left ear.

Guguryk also experiences severe shortness of breath due to the lack of treatment, and he is only given pills to thin the blood from the colony medical officials. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center emphasized that he could be held in a shared cell for up to 70 people at a time, and he is also receiving low-quality food.