Elina Hirvonen has become a mentor to Tofik Abdulgaziyev, a Crimean Tatar activist who is unlawfully detained. Elina urges that Tofik’s health is in a critical condition: he has been diagnosed with, amongst other things, tuberculosis, heart disease and a malignant brain tumour. “Russia has been imprisoning people in Crimea for political reasons — for example, on the ground of their ethnicity, religion or support for Ukraine,” Elina claims. The Italian politicians from the ‘Azione’ party have recently joined an initiative to support the Ukrainian political prisoners. Carlo Calenda, senator and leader of the ‘Azione’ party, has become a mentor to Esma Nimetulayeva, whilst Federica Onori, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, has become a mentor to Aziz Azizov, Julia Pastorella has become a mentor to Vladlen Abdulkadyrov, and Valentina Grippo has become a mentor to Ruslan Nagayev. On 4 May 2017 Tofik’s dwelling was searched for the first time. At that time he remained free. As a result of the second search on 27 March 2019 Abdulgaziyev was apprehnded on charges of involvement with the organisation ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’ which was banned in Russia. In May 2022, the Southern (Yuzhnyi) district military court of Rostov-on-Don found Tofik Abdulgaziyev guilty and sentenced him to 12 years of imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony with the first five years to be served in prison. Read more about the persecution of Tofik Abdulgaziyev in the timeline
Elina Hirvonen has become a mentor to Tofik Abdulgaziyev, a Crimean Tatar activist who is unlawfully detained.
Elina urges that Tofik’s health is in a critical condition: he has been diagnosed with, amongst other things, tuberculosis, heart disease and a malignant brain tumour.
“Russia has been imprisoning people in Crimea for political reasons — for example, on the ground of their ethnicity, religion or support for Ukraine,” Elina claims.
The Italian politicians from the ‘Azione’ party have recently joined an initiative to support the Ukrainian political prisoners.
Carlo Calenda, senator and leader of the ‘Azione’ party, has become a mentor to Esma Nimetulayeva, whilst Federica Onori, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, has become a mentor to Aziz Azizov, Julia Pastorella has become a mentor to Vladlen Abdulkadyrov, and Valentina Grippo has become a mentor to Ruslan Nagayev.
On 4 May 2017 Tofik’s dwelling was searched for the first time. At that time he remained free. As a result of the second search on 27 March 2019 Abdulgaziyev was apprehnded on charges of involvement with the organisation ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’ which was banned in Russia.
In May 2022, the Southern (Yuzhnyi) district military court of Rostov-on-Don found Tofik Abdulgaziyev guilty and sentenced him to 12 years of imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony with the first five years to be served in prison.
Read more about the persecution of Tofik Abdulgaziyev in the timeline