Esma Nimetulaeva

Crimean resident, pastry chef, wife of Remzi Nimetulaev, who is being prosecuted for involvement in a terrorist organisation. On 15 October 2025, Nimetulaeva was searched, detained and taken into custody the next day on charges of organising activities of a terrorist organisation - as in the case of her husband, in connection with involvement in the activities of the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Representatives of this community are prosecuted in terrorism cases and sentenced to huge terms solely because of what are essentially party activities - holding meetings, reading literature and attracting new supporters.

The project "Supporting Political Prisoners. Memorial" notes that there is no evidence that supporters of the movement were involved in the terrorist attacks.

A significant part of the persecution of Hizb ut-Tahrir members is the repression against Crimeans that began after the annexation of Crimea. Such cases have become a convenient tool to put pressure on protest-minded Crimean Tatars.

It is worth noting that the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir are banned in a number of countries due to radical anti-Israeli statements of the party's representatives. The ECHR considered the ban on the movement in Germany fair. However, the European Court pointed out that no evidence of terrorist activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir followers had been found.

You can read more about politically persecuted people in the Telegram channel OVD-Info LIVE and our database of politically motivated criminal prosecutions.