The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the Russian authorities to release the Crimean Tatar independent journalists Remzi Bekirov, Osman Arifmemetov, Rustem Sheykhaliev, Nariman Memedeminov, human rights activist Server Mustafayev and remove all the unlawful charges.
“In order to hide from the world the real situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea, the Russian occupation administration introduced an information ghetto from the beginning of the occupation – it systematically destroys freedom of speech on the peninsula, harasses and imprisons journalists and bloggers under the pretext of combating extremism or separatism and impedes their work in every way possible”,- the message claimed.
Of the 3 thousand media outlets that officially operated on the peninsula until 2014, only 232 were able to re-register at the request of the invaders. Thus, Russia actually deprived the population of the opportunity to hear an alternative opinion, blocking signals from Ukrainian radio stations and access to online publications.
“We call on the international community to take decisive actions against the abolition of freedom of speech and gross violation of human rights of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Crimea. We express full support to journalists, bloggers and all those who, despite repressions, are not afraid to publicly express their citizenship”,- the Foreign Ministry added.