When the vans with armed FSB officers first drove up to Refat Alimov’s home in Krasnokamenka, his mother says she initially wondered why there were suddenly so many tourists visiting. It became clear all too soon that they had come for her son, though neither she nor Refat’s friends and neighbours can begin to explain why – unless not drinking, not smoking, and not getting into brawls makes you ‘suspicious’ under Russian occupation. Alimov is turning 25 on Oct 28. He will be spending his birthday in the overcrowded and filthy Simferopol SIZO facing surreal ‘terrorism’ charges based solely on totally unproven involvement in an organization which is legal in Ukraine and in most countries.
He is the youngest of the 19 men so far arrested for supposed involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir which Russia’s Supreme Court in 2003 declared ‘terrorist’ without ever explaining why. This is one of the multiple reasons why the renowned Memorial Human Rights Group declares all those convicted of such ‘involvement’ political prisoners.
