Armed searches of both a mosque and the home of the Imam were carried out on 15 April in the Balaclava region of occupied Crimea, with the Imam, Rustem Abilev arrested on charges of making ‘calls to extremist activities’. Russia’s abuse of ‘extremism’ legislation is notorious, and suspicions about this ‘operation’ are only exacerbated by the fact that the FSB and other enforcement officers appear to have been accompanied by several Russian and Russian-controlled TV channels.
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Halya Coynash: Crimean Tatar Imam arrested on charges of ‘calls to extremism’ in Crimea
(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 5, 2014, Pro-Russian activists stand behind a Russian flag during their rally in the western Crimean city of Yevpatoria.
