By decision of the so-called “court,” the occupiers closed an Islamic school in the Simferopol District of Crimea. The school operated independently of the so-called “Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea and Sevastopol” (SAMCS). The official reason for the closure was alleged “propaganda of Habashism ideology.”

These actions by the occupying administration are part of a broader policy of persecution based on religious and ethnic grounds. Of the 2,220 religious organizations operating in Crimea in 2014, only 932 remained as of January 2024. This decline is a direct result of the unlawful imposition of Russian legislation, systematic pressure on religious leaders, and the persecution of religious communities that refuse to cooperate with the occupying administration.

Particular pressure is exerted through the Kremlin-controlled muftiate, created under the coercion of Crimean Mufti Emirali Ablaiev. This structure, together with the occupying “law enforcement agencies,” seeks to entirely subordinate the activities of mosques in Crimea to the interests of the occupying administration. Independent Muslim communities and respected religious leaders who refuse to align with the occupiers face persecution on religious and political grounds.

According to the Kremlin-loyal muftiate, only 10 mosques in Crimea remained outside its control as of early 2023. The so-called “Deputy Mufti” Aider Ismailov openly stated that their liquidation was carried out with the assistance of the occupying administration’s “law enforcement agencies.”

Crimean Tatars, the Indigenous people of Ukraine, are systematically targeted for repression, as they are historically perceived as disloyal to Moscow. According to the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, over 100 cases of religious persecution of Crimean Tatars were documented in January 2024 alone.

The closure of the Islamic school in the Simferopol District and the repression of independent religious communities are further evidence of the occupying administration’s attempts to destroy the religious and national identity of Crimean Tatars, restricting freedom of religion and human rights in the temporarily occupied territory.