Life before the detention

Aider Enverovych Dzhapparov was born on 20 July 1980 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. His family, like thousands of Crimean Tatars, returned from deportation to Crimea after Ukraine restored its independence.

In 1997, he graduated from secondary school in the village of Zuya, Bilohirsk district of Crimea, and the following year earned an honours diploma from a vocational school, qualifying as a fourth-class cook. From 1998 to 2000, he studied at a theological seminary, and in 2001–2003 continued his education in Lebanon at Jinan University, majoring in Arabic language and literature.

Aider’s professional career was in the engineering and construction sector. From 2003 to 2012, he worked on various private and state projects in the fields of water supply, ventilation, heating, and energy. He later worked as a service engineer and equipment installer, and from 2013 to 2019 was engaged in installing systems in the energy sector, as well as serving as a certified specialist in equipment installation.

He married in 2003 and is the father of eight children.

Persecution

Aider Dzhapparov was actively engaged in community and religious work. He organized lessons for children and adults on reading the Quran, assisted in building and equipping mosques, and filmed religious celebrations. He also regularly attended court hearings in cases of Muslim political prisoners and supported their families.

After Russia’s occupation of Crimea, Aider was kept under constant surveillance by the occupation forces. Every year, a district officer would visit his home to verify his whereabouts. In 2015, police raided his house when only his wife and young children were present. Later, his car came under regular surveillance, particularly in the evenings and at night.

On 10 June 2019, mass raids were carried out in the homes of three Crimean Tatars in Bilohirsk, after which Aider Dzhapparov, along with Riza and Enver Omerov, was unlawfully detained.

On 11 January 2021, a court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, delivered its verdict: Enver Omerov was sentenced to 18 years, Riza Omerov to 13 years, and Aider Dzhapparov to 17 years in prison on fabricated charges of alleged participation in a “terrorist organization.” The first three years of his sentence were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony.

On 10 March 2022, the appeal court in the Moscow region upheld the verdict, as did the cassation court in November 2023.

Behind the bars

On 10 July 2024, Aider Dzhapparov was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 5 in the city of Koryazhma, Arkhangelsk region of the Russian Federation. Previously, he had been held in the prison of Verkhneuralsk, Chelyabinsk region.

Despite all hardships, Aider Dzhapparov remains an example of resilience and devotion to the Crimean Tatar people, continuing to fight for their freedom and dignity even under the harshest conditions.