The Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Eskender Bariiev, reported on the illegal transfer of prisoner of war Seyran Asanov from Donetsk to Rostov-on-Don for further trial in the Southern District Military Court.
“Asanov Seyran, a prisoner of war illegally transferred from Chongar to Donetsk, a soldier of the 48th separate assault battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhihan, is now being transferred to Rostov-on-Don for further trial, as the Southern District Military Court is located there. Seyran has been held in the Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 2 in the occupied village of Chongar, Kherson region, since December 19, 2024, and was recently transferred to Donetsk. His status as a prisoner of war was confirmed by the Central Tracing Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross,” – said Eskender Bariiev.
According to him, the first hearing in Seyran’s case was scheduled for November 8, 2025, i.e., it was to take place tomorrow at the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. However, the occupiers did not manage to deliver the prisoner of war from Donetsk to Rostov, and therefore the hearing was postponed.
“Let me remind you that a 43-year-old Seyran is being tried as a member of a terrorist group and charged with terrorism for participating in the Noman Chelebidzhihan Battalion and defending Ukraine. The man faces up to 20 years in prison. Asanov was enlisted in the 48th separate assault battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhihan on August 26, 2024, but was seized on October 18, 2024, near the village of Zolota Nyva, Volnovakha district, Donetsk region,” – Bariiev said.
In addition, he stressed that the occupiers had released a video of Asanov’s interrogation in captivity, which is further confirmation of the violation of the rights of prisoners of war. This case shows that the Russian Federation systematically ignores the norms of international humanitarian law and the provisions of the Third Geneva Convention.
“Asanov, like the illegally convicted Sergei Yatskov, should be on the exchange lists and considered a prisoner of war, not a civilian illegally convicted in Russia. These people 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,” – Bariiev emphasized.
The head of the CTRC recalled that on June 1, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the Noman Chelebidzhikhan Battalion as a “terrorist organization.” The Russian occupation authorities are using this decision as a pretext for political persecution.
Formal “evidence” in these cases includes social media posts, photographs, and testimony from secret witnesses.
“These people should be recognized not as political prisoners, but as prisoners of war, which would facilitate their release in accordance with the Third Geneva Convention,” he stressed.
Summarizing, Eskender Bariiev added that the Crimean Tatar Resource Center constantly draws the attention of all competent authorities of Ukraine to the situation of these people, monitors their whereabouts, and provides legal qualifications that justify why these prisoners should be considered prisoners of war.
According to him, the first hearing in Seyran’s case was scheduled for November 8, 2025, i.e., it was to take place tomorrow at the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. However, the occupiers did not manage to deliver the prisoner of war from Donetsk to Rostov, and therefore the hearing was postponed.
Formal “evidence” in these cases includes social media posts, photographs, and testimony from secret witnesses.
“These people should be recognized not as political prisoners, but as prisoners of war, which would facilitate their release in accordance with the Third Geneva Convention,” he stressed.
In conclusion, Eskender Bariiev added that the Crimean Tatar Resource Center constantly draws the attention of all competent authorities in Ukraine to the situation of these people, monitors their whereabouts, and provides legal qualifications that justify why these prisoners should be considered prisoners of war.
According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, at least 70 detentions have already been recorded on charges of participating in the Noman Chelebidzhihan Battalion: 21 in the occupied Crimea and 49 in occupied Kherson region after February 24, 2022.
