CrimeaSOS: the occupiers are trying to portray the Crimean Tatars as extremists and saboteurs

The russian occupation authorities in Crimea are trying to show Crimean Tatars as extremists and saboteurs by searching their homes. CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko told about this in a comment to Suspilne.Sprotyv.

“We see a lot of arbitrary searches. First of all, in the first half of 2023 there were at least 13 searches in connection with the damage to the railway; all these searches took place in the houses of Crimean Tatars. That is, we see that the occupiers are trying to show the Crimean Tatars as extremists, saboteurs or simply as a disloyal group”, — the analyst said.

In addition to the searches in connection with the damage to the railway tracks, the persecutions due to the alleged involvement in the “Hizb ut-Tahrir” organization continue.

On August 24, the Independence Day of Ukraine, a new wave of mass searches took place in the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Bakhchysarai area of temporarily occupied Crimea. As a result, six Crimean Tatars were illegally detained.

Five detainees are activists of the human rights initiative “Crimean Solidarity”: Remzi Nimetulaiev, Ruslan Asanov, Seidamet Mustafaiev, Ametkhan Umerov and Eldar Yakubov. Another detainee — Abdulmedzhyt Seitumerov — is the brother of political prisoners Seitumer and Osman Seitumerov, sentenced to 17 and 13 years of imprisonment, respectively.

Three of them are already in pre-trial detention centre. The so-called court will choose a preventive measure today for three more.

“Such waves of searches in connection with alleged involvement in “Hizb ut-Tahrir” occur every six months. The previous wave was on January 24 this year. As a rule, the victims are citizen journalists, human rights defenders, activists, public figures who demonstrate disloyalty to the russian-controlled Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Crimea”, — Yevhenii Yaroshenko added.

We shall remind you that Ukrainian human rights defenders have published a statement regarding another wave of searches and detentions of Crimean Tatars. They call on the governments of foreign countries and international organizations, in particular the participants of the International Crimea Platform, to express a strong consolidated protest against the detention of Remzi Nimetulaiev, Ruslan Asanov, Seidamet Mustafaiev, Ametkhan Umerov, Eldar Yakubov and Abdulmedzhyt Seitumerov.

Photo: Crimean Solidarity