In the first half of 2020, 150 cases of arrests were recorded in the occupied Crimea, 115 of which were against representatives of the indigenous people. Out of 150 cases: 28 – new arrests / sentences, 122 – extension of the terms of detention of political prisoners in Crimea. This is stated in the analysis of human rights violations in the occupied Crimea for the first half of 2020 by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
In this category, as in others, we observe a downward trend in comparison with last year for the same period, when 200 cases of arrests were known. However, the policy of keeping political prisoners in custody and new arrests remains unchanged.
During the reporting period, the following sentences are known:
– On March 5, the so-called Dzhankoy District Court" sentenced Serhii Filatov to 6 years in a general regime colony with a probation for a period of 1 year for organizing and participating in the Jehovah's Witnesses cell.
– On April 6, the so-called Armiansk City Court sentenced Denys Kashuk to 3 years and 8 months in prison on suspicion of allegedly storing explosives and ammunition.
– On June 4, the so-called Supreme Court of Crimea reviewed the verdict of the so-called Yalta City Court against the Crimean resident Artem Herasymov and replaced the previously imposed fine with a sentence of imprisonment for a period of 6 years. He is accused of organizing the activities of the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses.
– On June 9, the so-called Sevastopol City Court sentenced a local resident to 10 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony. A 1970 man was found guilty of allegedly committing a crime under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (espionage).
By the decisions of the occupation courts of Crimea and the courts of the Russian Federation, the following were taken into custody:
– Crimean (name unknown), who, allegedly, on the instructions of the Ukrainian special services, equipped caches with ammunition and explosives in the region.
– 55-year-old Nariman Mezhmedinov on suspicion of alleged participation in the Noman Çelebicihan Crimean Tatar Volunteer Battalion on the territory of mainland Ukraine.
– Two teenagers from Kerch, suspected of allegedly preparing terrorist attacks in educational institutions of Kerch.
– Four Ukrainian fishermen detained in the Sea of Azov for illegal fishing (according to preliminary information, they were later released).
– Amet Suleimanov, defendant in the so-called third Bakhchisarai Hizb ut-Tahrir case (house arrest).
– Osman Seytumerov, Seytumer Seytumerov and Rustem Seytmemetov, defendants in the so-called third Bakhchisaray Hizb ut-Tahrir case.
– Detained in the occupied Crimea, two natives of the countries of Central Asia on suspicion of participation in the activities of an organization recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation.
– A resident of Kerch (name unknown) on suspicion of allegedly public calls for extremist activities.
– A serviceman of the Armed Forces of Russia (name unknown), who is suspected of allegedly issuing information that constitutes state secrets entrusted to her in service to representatives of the Ukrainian military intelligence in 2017-2018 (house arrest).
– Citizen of Ukraine Kostiantyn Shiringa, who is suspected of allegedly espionage on the instructions of the Ukrainian special service.
– Artem Shablii on suspicion of participating in the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization banned in Russia. Later, he was released from under the obligation to appear as a suspect. A criminal case was initiated against him in accordance with Part 1.1. Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“involvement in the activities of an extremist organization”).
– Ukrainian serviceman Ievhen Dobrynsky, who disappeared on May 30 at the administrative border with the occupied Crimea.
– three detainees on suspicion of allegedly planning to arrange an explosion at the market in Simferopol – Khoroshayiv, Lahutyn, Kuriievych – were taken into custody. Another – Reshetnychenko – was chosen as a preventive measure in the form of house arrest.
– Deputy Director General of the ATR TV channel Ayder Muzhdabaev (in absentia) for alleged calls to terrorism.
We remind that in the first half of 2020, at least 23 searches were recorded in the occupied Crimea, 13 of which were carried out in dwellings of Crimean Tatars, 48 arrests, 16 of which were in relation to Crimean Tatars and 52 cases of interrogations, interviews and conversations, 21 of which – against the representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.