“Before his arrest, my husband and I had been married for less than three and a half years. The brightest memories of our family are connected with the birth of our children. When our first daughter was born, my husband doted on her so lovingly, it is impossible to describe with words. He tried to spend all his free time with her, trying to enjoy her every second. And then our son was born. But, unfortunately, my husband was unable to see his first steps, or hear the first words. Because when he was arrested, our son was only six months old,” recalls Azize Abkhairova, the wife of political prisoner Arsen Abkhairov.
Arsen Abkhairov was born in 1987, a resident of the village of Amurske in Crimea. Prior to his arrest, he was engaged in agriculture and also had a small farm.
In February 2019, Arsen Abkhairov was arrested. Russian security forces searched the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Krasnohvardiiskyi district, and later took Eskender Abdulhaniev, Arsen Abkhairov, and Rustem Emiruseinov to the Russian FSB department in Simferopol. They are accused of partaking in the “Khizb ut-Takhrir” organization, which is banned in Russia and in the territory of the annexed Crimea.
Arsen Abkhairov is currently being held in a Russian pre-trial detention center in Rostov-on-Don. “The case is being considered now, it is already approaching the verdict,” said Abkhairova.
Arsen's health has deteriorated in prison, says Azize Abkhairova. “Because of bad water, his teeth crumble and fall out, and no qualified dental care is provided in the pre-trial detention center. He did not have any chronic diseases before his detention in the pre-trial detention center, and we do not know how he is now. He doesn't tell us much, as he doesn't want his mother to worry,” she said.
