Today, we share the story of Crimean citizen journalist Rustem Sheikhaliiev, who has been unlawfully sentenced to 14 years in a high-security penal colony. 

Life Before the Detention

Rustem Dinarovych Sheikhaliiev was born on June 22, 1979, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where his family had been forcibly deported by the Soviet totalitarian regime alongside other Crimean Tatars in 1944. His childhood and adolescence were spent in a large family, where he was the eldest of three siblings.

At the age of 14, Rustem returned to Crimea with his family, continuing his education at Simferopol Secondary School No. 1. After graduating, he enrolled in a vocational school, specializing as an “electric gas welder,” and subsequently worked in the local market.

What did the occupiers come up with?

On March 27, 2019, in the Kamianka and Strohanivka districts of Simferopol, the occupiers conducted another round of mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars. These searches were the largest since the start of the occupation and Russian aggression. On that day, 25 individuals were detained, including Rustem Sheikhaliiev.

On November 24, 2022, a Russian court in Rostov-on-Don found Rustem guilty of fabricated charges of alleged terrorism, sentencing him to 14 years in a high-security penal colony, four of which he is to serve in prison.

Why was Rustem Sheikhaliiev actually detained?

Rustem Sheikhaliiev was an active member of his community—he helped organize children’s events, procured food for those in need, and supported the families of political prisoners. He was also an activist with the Crimean Solidarity movement.

In 2015, Rustem became a citizen journalist, documenting the repression and persecution of Muslims in Crimea by Russia.

His detention was part of the occupiers’ repressive policy aimed at suppressing any dissent through fabricated charges.

Where is Rustem Sheikhaliiev now?

On February 1, 2024, the court in the town of Vlasikha, Moscow region, denied political prisoner Rustem Sheikhaliiev’s appeal, leaving the illegal sentence in force.

On March 18, 2024, Rustem Sheikhaliiev and other political prisoners were transferred from the pre-trial detention center. In April, Rustem learned that he had been relocated to Prison No. 2 in Yeniseisk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.

While in detention, the health of the Crimean Tatar has continued to deteriorate rapidly. He has been denied comprehensive medical examinations, including an ECG. Additionally, he has lost significant weight and is suffering from severe varicose veins.

“Rustem mentioned that when measuring his blood pressure, the medical staff intentionally stopped the gauge before reaching the required level, falsely showing a normal reading,” shared the political prisoner’s lawyer, Lilia Hemedzhi.