In Crimea detained human rights defender Kuku is not allowed to visit his relatives

The defendant of the “Hizb ut-Tahrir” case, Emir-Useyin Kuku was never allowed to visit his relatives.

As reported by his lawyer Oleksiy Ladin during the broadcast of Hromadske Radio.

“I’d like to note that the investigator has never given permission to allow Emir-Useyin Kuku meet with his relatives since the arrest, despite the fact that the spouse has repeatedly filed an application with a request to visit him. And he sees his children only in the courtroom and only if there is such opportunity”, – said Ladin.

The lawyer noted that the investigation has no legitimate reason why the relatives can not visit the Crimean Tatar. The defense believes that this one of the forms of pressuring Emir-Useyin Kuku who does not admit his guilt.

As a reminder, Emir-Useyin Kuku is a defendant in the Yalta “Hizb ut-Tahrir” case. Earlier this year, the investigation has brought an updated indictment under Article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Forcible seizure of power”.

Emir-Useyin Kuku is the Head of the Human Rights Contact Centre in Yalta. The tasks of the organization, in particular, were to monitor the human rights violations, legal assistance and dissemination of information on cases of politically motivated disappearances in the Crimea. Emir-Useyin Kuku is also member of the Crimean Human Rights Group. Before his arrest in February 2016, he was actively engaged in documenting human rights violations in Yalta and its region. He has provided legal aid and support to ethnic Muslims and Crimean Tatars, who are constantly discriminated against and persecuted for political reasons.

Representatives of the International Islamic political organization “Hizb ut-Tahir” called its mission to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate. However they reject all kinds of terroristic methods to achieve their goals and believe their organization to be unfairly subjected to persecution in Russia.

Russia’s Supreme Court banned “Hizb ut-Tahir” in 2003 and included it in the list of terrorist organizations.