The Southern District Military Court, located in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, at a meeting on November 3, sentenced three residents of Krasnohvardiisky district of Crimea, the defendants in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova said.

"Arsen Abkhairov was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment in a strict regime correctional colony, but the first two years in prison. Rustem Emiruseinov and Eskender Abdulganiev were sentenced to 17 and 12 years, respectively. They will also serve their sentence in similar conditions," Denisova wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

The commissioner said that the decision of the Russian court is illegal and politically motivated.

"I want to emphasize that the rights and freedoms of Crimean Tatars have been grossly violated since the illegal searches in their homes and their detention. Thus, the right to an impartial investigation, an effective remedy, a fair trial and the principle of the presumption of innocence were violated," she said.

"I appeal to the international community to join forces and increase pressure on the Russian Federation in order to finally end the politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied Crimea and release all the Kremlin's captives," Denisova said.

As reported, Emiruseinov, Abkhairov and Abdulganiev were detained in February 2019.

According to Russian media, Emiruseinov was charged under Part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the activities of a terrorist organization), Abkhairov and Abdulganiev were charged under Part 2 of the same article (participation in the activities of a terrorist organization).