New attack on independent Muslim community in Russian-occupied Crimea
Russia’s so-called ‘centre for countering extremism’ has brought administrative charges against Idris Yurdamov, leader of the independent Muslim community Eski Qirim [Stary Krym, or Old Crimea] over purportedly ‘extremist literature’.
As Yurdamov explained to Crimean Solidarity, enforcement officers turned up at the Zubeir-Dzhami Mosque on 5 June and looked around, calling this “a standard check”. On 11 June, however, occupation ‘police’ officers handed Yurdamov a document informing him that he was facing prosecution in connection with this check. The latter, it was claimed had found indications of the offence under Article 20.29 of Russia’s code of administrative offences, namely ‘the production and circulation of extremist literature’. The document, ordering Yurdamov to appear for questioning on 13 June, was signed by the head of the Centre, Ruslan Shambazov. He and his ‘officers’ use a whole arsenal of dubious administrative charges against Crimean Tatar journalists and activists, human rights defenders, and religious figures. Neither the flawed charges, nor evidently fabricated ‘evidence’ are ever questioned by occupation ‘courts’ which hand down fines or brief terms of imprisonment as demanded.
The charge laid on 11 June seems of particular cynicism, given that the mosque in question has, for the past several months, been under the control of the ‘Spiritual directorate of Muslims of Crimea’. Whatever was, supposedly, ‘found’ at the mosque had nothing to do with Idris Yurdamov, or the Eski Qirim community.
The change is clearly linked with earlier harassment by this same ‘centre for countering extremism’ in February and March 2024. On 29 February, ‘searches’ were carried out at the homes of the Eski Qirim Imam Izet Saifullin and of Idris Yurdamov. Yurdamov was released, however Saifullin was charged with ‘illegal missionary activities’, one of the extraordinary charges that Russia has applied against Imams leading worship in their own mosque and chosen by their community.
In March 2024, the same ‘centre for countering extremism’ brought administrative charges against Eski Qirim for supposedly holding ‘prohibited literature’. It was claimed that the community was linked with the Zubeir-Dzhami Mosque (which is in the small Crimean city called Stary Krym) where the enforcement ‘officers’ had allegedly found and removed three books on Russia’s list of ‘prohibited literature’. At the time, Yurdamov stated clearly that he had no idea how the books had appeared there, and, judging by the countless occasions where the FSB have planted such books, it is quite possible that they appeared with the ‘officers’. The Centre accused Eski Qirim of “allowing the holding of extremist material for the purpose of its mass circulation” and asserted that it had infringed the same Article 20.29 “on the production and circulation of extremist material’.
At the end of March 2024, the occupation ‘Kirovske district court’ fined Eski Qirim 100 thousand roubles over the charge, with that ruling later upheld by the occupation ‘high court’.
Both Yurdamov and lawyer Ruslan Kyamilev are adamant that the charges were fabricated, with the aim, as Kyamilev puts it, to push the independent community from the mosque.
Eski Qirim exists perfectly legally but is by no means the first independent Muslim community to have faced persecution under Russian occupation, nor the first where one of the motives appears to have been control of a mosque. The moves to take the mosques away from such communities or disband the latter seem likely to be with the connivance of the Directorate of Muslims of Crimea which, under Mufti Emirali Ablayev, chose to collaborate with the invading state in return for power and privilege. The Directorate does not tolerate independent communities, and a number of such communities, their heads and / or Imams have faced administrative prosecution and other forms of harassment.
See also:
Russia's armed terror against independent Crimean Tatar Muslim community hits resistance