The FSB opened a second criminal case against human rights activist and member of the liquidated human rights center "Memorial" Bakhrom Khamroev. This was announced on Facebook by his lawyer Timofey Shirokov.
"The bad news. Another criminal case was initiated against Bakhrom Khamroev. Now this is part 1 of Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – organization of the activities of a terrorist organization. Without any hesitation, ordinary human rights activities are imputed to him as a crime – helping those who are persecuted under the relevant articles, and whom the same Memorial considered political prisoners, ”the lawyer writes.
Khamroev's arrest was extended for another two months. The basis for further detention in the pre-trial detention center was a new criminal case, Mediazona.ru reports . Central Asia". Punishment under this article involves up to 20 years in prison or even life imprisonment.
On February 24, the FSB detained Bakhrom Khamroev in Moscow on a case of justifying terrorism. The operatives opened the door to the Khamroevs' apartment with a key, conducted a search, and confiscated a laptop and telephones. Khamroev was told that he was on trial for "supporting terrorism" and they took him away.
Khamroev defends the rights of immigrants from Central Asia and Russian Muslims. In February 2021, the Lyubertsy prosecutor's office went to court to deprive the human rights activist of Russian citizenship. At the same time, the supervisory authority referred to the explanatory note of his ex-wife. A marriage to a Russian citizen, concluded in the mid-1990s, provided the legal basis for Khamroev to obtain Russian citizenship. A few years later, the couple divorced. The supervisory authority decided that the marriage was fictitious.
Khamroev was a citizen of the Russian Federation for 27 years, and earlier there were no questions to him regarding citizenship from officials. “I have never had any other citizenship, including Uzbekistan. At first I was a citizen of the USSR, and then I became a citizen of Russia, ”the human rights activist told The Insider.
Khamroev's ex-wife said that in early February 2021, FSB officers came to her house. They stated that her ex-husband was allegedly “a terrorist, blowing up everyone, inciting everyone”, and also “inciting” people to rallies in support of Alexei Navalny. Therefore, according to intelligence officers, the Russian woman should write them an explanatory note about a fictitious marriage. The FSB officers also threatened that if she refused, she herself could be held accountable for “legalizing” the presence in Russia of a person involved in terrorism.
At the same time, in Uzbekistan, the homeland of the human rights activist, false testimony was sought from some prisoners, which could be used to prosecute Khamroev in the event of his deportation.