Bariiev noted that the occupiers accuse Asanov of “terrorism” and plan to deprive him of his liberty for participating in the Noman Chelebidzhihan Battalion.
“According to the information received, from December 19, 2024, to the present, Asanov has been held in pretrial detention center No. 2 in the occupied village of Chongar, Kherson region. His status as a prisoner of war has been confirmed by the Central Tracing Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross,” – emphasized Eskender Bariiev .
He added that the occupiers had published videos of Asanov’s interrogations in captivity, which confirms the violation of his rights as a prisoner of war. He is currently undergoing an illegal trial on charges of participating in a “terrorist group,” for which he faces up to 20 years in prison.
“I would like to remind you that this is the second case we have reported in the last two weeks.
On September 3, it became known that the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don had illegally sentenced Ukrainian prisoner Sergei Yatskov to 20 years in prison for allegedly participating in the Noman Chelebidzhihan battalion, the first three years of which he has to spend in prison,” – emphasized the chairman of the board of the CTRC.
He noted that the latest trial of a prisoner of war once again confirms that Russia does not comply with the rules of warfare, the norms of treatment of prisoners of war, and grossly violates the Third Geneva Convention.
“Asanov and Yatskov should be on the exchange lists and treated as prisoners of war, not as illegally convicted in the Russian Federation. They fought to defend our country, and therefore their cases require the utmost attention from both the Ukrainian and international communities, the dissemination of information, and their immediate release,” – said Bariiev.
It should be recalled that on June 1, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the Noman Chelebidzhihan Battalion as a “terrorist organization.” The Russian occupation authorities are using this decision to justify political persecution. Formal “evidence” in these cases includes social media posts, photographs, and testimony from secret witnesses.
As of today, according to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, at least 66 detentions have been recorded on charges of participating in the Noman Chelebidzhihan Battalion: 19 in occupied Crimea and 47 in occupied Kherson region after February 24, 2022.
“In fact, when the occupiers talk about the Noman Chelebidzhihan Battalion, they are actually referring to the Asker public formation for the protection of public order and the state border. It was officially registered in Ukraine in 2016 to assist the State Border Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region,” -added the chairman of the board of the CTRC.
Bariiev once again reminded that, in accordance with the Third Geneva Convention, these people should be recognized not as political prisoners, but as prisoners of war. After all, the public formation “Asker” can be considered a paramilitary organization, since it helped border guards in maintaining order. Therefore, its members should be considered combatants and treated accordingly — as prisoners of war if they are captured. Recognizing these people as prisoners of war will greatly facilitate the process of their release in accordance with the norms of the Third Geneva Convention.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center has provided all competent authorities in Ukraine with a legal assessment justifying why these prisoners should be considered prisoners of war, as well as information about the colonies and prisons in Russia where they are currently being held.