Emir-Usein Kuku

Crimean Tatar human rights activist Emir-Usein Kuku was detained on 11 February 2016 during mass searches and detentions in Crimea. He was arrested on suspicion of participation in the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned as a terrorist organisation. In July 2016, he was placed in a special block of the pre-trial detention centre as a "dangerous person under investigation".

On 12 November 2019, he was sentenced to 12 years in a strict regime colony.

The day after the verdict, Kuku was placed in a punishment cell due to the fact that in the evening of the previous day he fell asleep in his cell and did not come out for the evening recount.

In January 2020, it became known that Kuku was placed in a special cell in pre-trial detention centre No. 3 in Rostov Oblast.

Earlier it was reported that a case of incitement to national hatred was opened on Kuku because of publications on Facebook. On 30 November 2015, he was summoned for questioning by the Investigative Committee. Even publications made before the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation were subject to review; as a result, 42 publications were selected. It was claimed that the materials of the case include, in particular, a video with appeals to the Muslims of Crimea in different languages, reports on the losses of the Russian armed forces in Syria, statements of the Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev about the upcoming repressions, a speech by Maksim Shevchenko in defence of Muslims, a photograph of a road sign with the inscription "Russia go away. Unutma, it was so". However, the information about the opening of the case was not confirmed.

In April 2015, Kuku was already prosecuted for publications in the social network "Odnoklassniki": a search was conducted, books were confiscated, he was taken to the FSB office for questioning, and was beaten all the way. The case on the fact of injury (the doctor recorded a bruised kidney) was not opened.

On 26 June 2018, Kuku began an indefinite hunger strike. After 24 days, he ended the hunger strike. According to Kuku's lawyer, the state of his health during this time significantly deteriorated: kidney and pancreas pains began.
In June 2023, Kuku was urgently taken from the colony to the hospital with a kidney attack and operated on.

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