Rustem was born in 1979 in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. His family had been deported eastward along with other Crimean Tatars in 1944. He spent his childhood there and completed eight grades of school before moving to Crimea at the age of 14, where he finished his secondary education. Rustem then enrolled at Technical School No. 26, where he trained as an electric gas welder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rustem and his wife have three children: a daughter, Zulfie, and two sons, Renat and Dzhelyal. He dreamed of building a home for his family \u2014 a passion to which he dedicated all his time. His imprisonment dramatically altered the family\u2019s life: Rustem\u2019s wife, Suriia, became the sole caretaker of their children. This situation is common among Crimean Tatars \u2014 the imprisonment of a family member often means the loss of the main provider and causes significant psychological harm, particularly to children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the occupation of Crimea, Rustem could not remain indifferent. He began actively attending the illegal court hearings staged by the occupying administration against political prisoners, covering the issue of Crimean Tatar repression, and supporting the families of those affected. In 2015, he became a journalist \u2014 documenting crimes committed by the Russian Federation in Crimea became his primary focus. Rustem devoted all his efforts to seeking justice and supporting political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 27 March 2019, Russian security forces raided the Sheikhaliev family home, conducted a search, and arrested the activist. Rustem was charged with alleged involvement in the so-called “terrorist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir,” an accusation that carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The activist is currently held in Prison No. 2 in the city of Yeniseisk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian Federation. Rustem\u2019s health is rapidly deteriorating \u2014 he reports chest pain, weakness, varicose veins, and frequent nosebleeds. According to the political prisoner, Russian medical staff are denying him proper medical care and refusing to conduct necessary examinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rustem\u2019s unlawful detention is part of the broader systemic policy of repression, intimidation, and persecution that the Crimean Tatar people have faced at the hands of the Russian Federation for many years. We call on the international community not to remain indifferent and to consistently pressure the Russian Federation to immediately release all political prisoners, end repressions in temporarily occupied Crimea, and comply with international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":74148,"template":"","publication-type":[43],"class_list":["post-74251","press-center","type-press-center","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","publication-type-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n