Crimean Tatar activist Tofik Abdulghaziyev, a member of the Crimean Solidarity movement, has returned to his family after being released from a Russian prison on health grounds. His relatives and human rights advocates made the release public on October 29. According to their accounts, a Russian court ordered his release on October 26.
Abdulghaziyev was sentenced in 2022 to 12 years in prison over alleged involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Russian authorities have designated a terrorist organisation. Human rights groups link his prosecution to the wider cases brought against Crimean Tatar activists since Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Relatives and rights organisations repeatedly reported a severe deterioration in his health during imprisonment, including a diagnosis of a malignant brain tumour and other serious illnesses. These medical details are based on accounts from his family and organisations monitoring the case.
A Russian court ordered Abdulghaziyev's release because of serious illness, but his criminal conviction has not been overturned. Before his arrest, he was involved in human rights work in Crimea, which has been under Russian occupation since 2014 and is internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory.