Today we would like to draw your attention to the situation in occupied Crimea. Under the long occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which began in 2014, the problem with freedom of speech on the peninsula is becoming widely relevant. The Russian Federation is increasing pressure on pro-Ukrainian media, which has led to their complete elimination.
For example, at first professional journalists continued to work on the peninsula, but as pressure grew, most of them were forced to leave for mainland Ukraine, while some stayed and clandestinely prepared materials for the Ukrainian media. As a consequence, citizen journalism began to develop on the peninsula. Ordinary people, forced to live under temporary occupation, took their cell phones in their hands and turned on the camera to record numerous offenses against the representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
Already now there are a number of activists, civic journalists, bloggers from “Crimean Solidarity” among the numerous political prisoners of the Kremlin.
According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, so far 24 Crimean journalists have been criminally persecuted by the occupation authorities and illegally imprisoned, 16 of whom are Crimean Tatars. Now 21 journalists and public activists are held in Russian prisons, among them are Aziz Azizov, Amet Suleymanov, Asan Akhtemov, Vladimir Dudka, Dmitry Shtyblikov, Ernes Ametov, Iryna Danylovych, Marlen Asanov, Osman Arifmemetov, Aleksey Bessarabov, Remzi Bekirov, Ruslan Suleymanov, Rustem Osmanov, Rustem Sheikhaliev, Seyran Saliiev, Sergei Tsygipa, Server Mustafayev, Timur Ibragimov, Vladislav Yesipenko, Vilen Temerianov, Gennady Osmak. Three more – Nariman Dzhelyal, Nikolai Semena and Nariman Memedeminov – were released as part of exchanges or after completion of their prison terms.
As we can see, the peninsula has been turned into a lawless territory with the lowest level of freedom of speech.
The Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marked a new stage of brutal repression of independent journalism in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, according to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, the occupiers have killed more than 100 Ukrainian and foreign media workers. Numerous regional media outlets in the temporarily seized territories have been forced to stop working due to threats, destruction of editorial offices, and inability to operate under the temporary occupation.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center calls on the international community to continue to increase pressure on the occupying state so that our compatriots can continue their professional activities.
May 3, 2025
On May 3, the world celebrates Press Freedom Day. This day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1993 to emphasize the importance of media freedom of speech in the modern world.
Today we would like to draw your attention to the situation in occupied Crimea. Under the long occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which began in 2014, the problem with freedom of speech on the peninsula is becoming widely relevant. The Russian Federation is increasing pressure on pro-Ukrainian media, which has led to their complete elimination.
For example, at first professional journalists continued to work on the peninsula, but as pressure grew, most of them were forced to leave for mainland Ukraine, while some stayed and clandestinely prepared materials for the Ukrainian media. As a consequence, citizen journalism began to develop on the peninsula. Ordinary people, forced to live under temporary occupation, took their cell phones in their hands and turned on the camera to record numerous offenses against the representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
Already now there are a number of activists, civic journalists, bloggers from “Crimean Solidarity” among the numerous political prisoners of the Kremlin.
According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, so far 24 Crimean journalists have been criminally persecuted by the occupation authorities and illegally imprisoned, 16 of whom are Crimean Tatars. Now 21 journalists and public activists are held in Russian prisons, among them are Aziz Azizov, Amet Suleymanov, Asan Akhtemov, Vladimir Dudka, Dmitry Shtyblikov, Ernes Ametov, Iryna Danylovych, Marlen Asanov, Osman Arifmemetov, Aleksey Bessarabov, Remzi Bekirov, Ruslan Suleymanov, Rustem Osmanov, Rustem Sheikhaliev, Seyran Saliiev, Sergei Tsygipa, Server Mustafayev, Timur Ibragimov, Vladislav Yesipenko, Vilen Temerianov, Gennady Osmak. Three more – Nariman Dzhelyal, Nikolai Semena and Nariman Memedeminov – were released as part of exchanges or after completion of their prison terms.
As we can see, the peninsula has been turned into a lawless territory with the lowest level of freedom of speech.
The Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marked a new stage of brutal repression of independent journalism in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, according to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, the occupiers have killed more than 100 Ukrainian and foreign media workers. Numerous regional media outlets in the temporarily seized territories have been forced to stop working due to threats, destruction of editorial offices, and inability to operate under the temporary occupation.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center calls on the international community to continue to increase pressure on the occupying state so that our compatriots can continue their professional activities.