Arifmemetov Osman

Born on August 25, 1985, Osman Arifmemetov is a Crimean Tatar, civic journalist, and activist of the Crimean Solidarity. He graduated from university as a mathematician, worked as a software engineer and math teacher. Osman had a plan to establish an educational project Crimean Childhood to teach the children of political prisoners from Crimea. He was also actively involved in covering searches and court hearings and helped with gathering food packages for the detention center prisoners. He underwent multiple detentions by the Russian police for his civic activism and persecuting the officers while they were conducting illegal detentions of Crimean Tatars. He was always streaming live and documenting the detention process on the photos.

During his own detention, Osman and his other fellow citizens were held inside a bus for almost 24 hours (that occurred in February), deprived of food and water.

Osman Arifmemetov has been imprisoned under the article 205.5, part 2 (participation in the activities of an organization recognized as terroristic in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation), article 30, chapter 1 (prepared and attempted crime), and article 278 (violent seizure of power or violent retaining power) of the Russian Federation’s Criminal Code and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Now he is held in the prison of Minusinsk town, Krasnoiarsk Krai, Russian Federation.

"My fighting is open to the public on my page on Facebook. I was reporting on injustice and therefor I was called a terrorist. Crimean Tatars — Muslims — showed their political stance. They would not support the oppressors. This regime dreads political unity," Osman Arifmemetov, 21 May 2019.