Crimean Tatar Political Prisoner Rustem Virati Dies in Russian Captivity After Reported Torture

A 60-year-old Crimean Tatar political prisoner, Rustem Virati, has died in a penal colony in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region, Russia, after being sentenced to eight years in prison by Russian occupation authorities, according to The Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Virati, a resident of the Henichesk district in Ukraine’s Kherson region, was detained by Russian forces in March 2023 following multiple searches of his home. After his initial arrest, he was reportedly beaten and tortured before being dumped on a roadside, forcing him to walk home. The next day, Russian authorities raided his house again and detained him a second time, telling him, “This time, it’s for good.”

For the first four months after his detention, his whereabouts were unknown, with occupation forces refusing to disclose where he was being held.

Russian authorities accused Virati of supporting Crimea’s economic blockade in 2015 and alleged he had ties to the Crimean Tatar Noman Çelebicihan Battalion . His trial was conducted behind closed doors, barring his family and independent lawyers from attending.

His only legal representation was a court-appointed lawyer assigned by the occupation authorities. The prosecution initially sought a 15-year sentence, but the so-called “Henichesk court” ultimately sentenced him to eight years in a high-security prison.

“During one court session, an acquaintance saw Rustem with bandages on his head, clear evidence of mistreatment and possible renewed torture,” the Crimean Tatar Resource Center reported.

Following his sentencing, Virati was initially taken to a facility in Ufa before being transferred to the Dimitrovgrad penal colony in Ulyanovsk region. His last contact with family came on February 7, 2025, when he called and told them, “I won’t last much longer.”

His relatives were informed of his death on February 10, but no further details about the circumstances have been disclosed.

According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, at least 61 people have died under Russian occupation in Crimea, including 29 Crimean Tatars. The organization warns that without international intervention, the number of political prisoners dying in Russian captivity will continue to rise.

“Russia continues its systematic persecution of Ukrainian political prisoners. If the world does not act to stop it, the number of victims will only grow,” the Crimean Tatar Resource Center stated.

Previously, it was reported that Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who was captured by Russian forces in August 2023 while reporting from occupied territories, was tortured, starved, and hidden from inspections before her death in Russian custody.