Aleksei and Vladimir Settarov are political prisoners
They have been sentenced to up to five and a half years’ imprisonment in a strict-regime penal colony on charges of participating in the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers the brothers Aleksei and Vladimir Settarov as political prisoners. They have been convicted on charges of participating in an illegal armed group on the territory of Ukraine, with aims contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation, for involvement in the Noman Çelebicihan Crimean Tatar Battalion. Their prosecution and conviction violate their right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of the Settarov brothers and that all criminal charges against them be dropped.
What were the charges against the Settarov brothers?
Aleksei Settarov (aged 25), a Russian citizen, and his younger brother, Vladimir Settarov (aged 24), a Ukrainian citizen, were agricultural workers in Crimea. The young men were arrested as they were working in the fields in May 2023. While the exact date of their arrest is not known, the FSB reported the detention of ‘members of an illegal armed group’ on 29 May.
The Settarov brothers were accused of involvement in the Noman Çelebicihan Crimean Tatar Battalion and were remanded in custody on charges of ‘participating in an armed group not recognised by the legislation of a foreign state and acting against the interests of Russia’ (Article 208, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code). Although the cases of Aleksei and Vladimir Settarov were heard separately, the charges against them were remarkably similar. The investigative authorities claimed that the two brothers actively participated in the Çelebicihan Battalion’s activities from January to March 2019. Their duties allegedly included guarding parked agricultural machinery and a grain storage facility, for which they were paid a salary, given winter coats, and allowed to exercise in a gym. Although the brothers found other work and left in March 2019, the court considered that they did not end their involvement in the group since they did not inform Russian authorities that this was the case.
The Settarov brothers admitted their guilt and testified against themselves and each other. Witnesses also included their cousins – Artur, Arsen, and Ablyamet Memetshaev, who were simultaneously tried on similar charges.
On 26 October 2023, Aleksei Settarov was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, and on 22 November 2023, Vladimir Settarov was sentenced to five years and six months. The two men are to serve the first year of their terms in a cell-type prison, and the remainder of the sentence in a strict-regime penal colony.
Why do we consider the Settarov brothers as political prisoners?
We believe that participation in the Çelebicihan Battalion does not in itself constitute a criminal offence. This group first made its appearance in September 2015 after the leaders of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis announced a civil blockade of Crimea. A few months later, a similar decision to support the blockade was made by the Ukrainian government. The Battalion did not engage in active combat before the full-scale war in 2022 and was, in effect, an unarmed civil society organisation.
The activities of the Çelebicihan Battalion cannot be deemed illegal, a point proven by their joint border patrols with the Ukrainian Border Guard Service. Moreover, it is not the activities of the Çelebicihan Battalion that contradict Russia’s interests, but the unlawful seizure of Ukrainian territories.
The court proceedings in the cases of the Settarov brothers support our conclusions. They were accused of guarding a grain storage facility. However, as evidence the prosecution presented a photograph from a gym, and the court noted that the brothers never had any weapons. Aleksei and Vladimir Settarov were convicted as active participants in an illegal armed group, although the judge noted as a mitigating factor that they had only been with the Battalion for three months in 2019. Moreover, the law does not permit the prosecution of individuals who voluntarily left an illegal group for this offence.
A detailed description of Aleksei and Vladimir Settarov’s cases and of our position is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
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