Recently, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the cassation appeal of lawyers and overturned the sentence of Crimean Tatar Dzhemil Gafarov, who died on February 10, 2023, in the Novocherkassk detention center.
Lawyer Rifat Yakhin reported about this decision via his Facebook, emphasizing that it is no longer possible for the system, which has ignored Gafarov’s dangerous health condition for more than a year and a half, to punish a person who no longer exists.
“He was released by other forces, which are not under your or our control,” – Yakhin said, addressing the judges.
The political prisoner’s wife, Roza Gafarova, shared her emotions and pain from this event with the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, noting that despite the court’s decision, the truth cannot be changed.
“Tears, emotions, memories and, of course, regret that it happened… A person who is not alive cannot be sentenced – that’s the truth,” – said Roza.
According to her, this decision is important for many people, although it does not change the fact that her husband is no longer alive.
It should be reminded that for almost 4 years, the Russian occupiers held 60-year-old Dzhemil Gafarov in the FSB prisons, and in January 2023 he was criminally “sentenced” to 13 years in prison in a colony.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center emphasizes that the responsibility for the man’s death lies solely with the terrorist state – the Russian Federation. After all, the political prisoner had significant health problems, which he and his defense lawyers repeatedly stated both when he was illegally detained during the trial and when he was imprisoned after the illegal “sentence” was pronounced. However, the Russian authorities have long been committed to the deliberate and systematic destruction of Ukrainian citizens, so he was not provided with the necessary medical care, which was the actual cause of his death.