Over the period of 9 months in 2019, 126 cases of detentions were recorded in the occupied Crimea, 113 of which targeted representatives of the Crimean Tatar people. The number of detentions for this period significantly exceeds the figure for 9 months of 2018. Back then, 91 cases were recorded, 65 of which were in relation to the Crimean Tatars. Moreover, the number of detentions in the III quarter exceeds the figures for II and I, 57, 17 and 52 cases, respectively. This is reported by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
In Crimea, there is a tendency to detain right after searches, on suspicion of involvement in the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization, which is banned in the Russian Federation. It was most pronounced in March and June. One of the distinguishing features of this period is the mass detention of Crimean Tatars at protests in Moscow. On July 10-11, 53 activists were detained on Red Square and near the building of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, and were subsequently charged with an administrative fine.
During this period, there were also detentions on suspicion of participating in the Noman Çelebicihan battalion, the Jehovah's Witnesses and Hizb ut-Tahrir organizations that are banned in the Russian Federation, on suspicion of calls for extremist activity, as well as for alleged demonstration of forbidden symbols. In the latter case, people are being persecuted for posts in social networks that date back to 2014. A number of detentions were recorded on the administrative border with the occupied Crimea. Such detentions are usually conducted in violation of human rights, such as the denial to see the lawyer or by keeping people under arrest for more than three hours.
Systematic detentions have become a common practice after the occupation of Crimea. In 2018, there were recorded 128 cases of detention, 75 of which were in relation to the representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
In 9 months in 2019, in the occupied Crimea, there were recorded 80 searches, 62 of which were conducted in the households of the Crimean Tatars.