CrimeaSOS: the punishment of Crimean Tatars for the national flag in Crimea is a manifestation of discrimination
26 / 06 / 2023
The decision of the occupation court of Bilohirsk district on the administrative punishment of Rustem Kurnosov and Enver Useinov for the national flag is a manifestation of discrimination. According to CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko, the policy of persecuting Crimean Tatars for national symbols violates a number of international norms.
“The occupation authorities most likely violate the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of expression by the decision to administratively punish the Crimean Tatars for the national flag. In this case, there is also a trace of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity in the use of these rights, which is a violation of many international treaties: the European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. In addition, Art. 5 of the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities obliges to promote the conditions necessary for persons belonging to national minorities to preserve the essential elements of their identity”, – Yevhenii Yaroshenko noted.
On June 25 at 6:00 p.m., the so-called Bilohirsk District Court found Rustem Kurnosov and Enver Useinov guilty of an administrative offense under Article 20.2 part 2 of the code of administrative offenses of the russian federation. Each was fined 20,000 rubles (approximately UAH 8,700).
On June 25, Enver Useinov, Rustem Kurnosov and Ebabil Ibrahimov were detained by the occupiers for participating in a motorcade with Crimean Tatar flags. All three were taken to the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the russian federation in occupied Crimea. Later, Ebabil Ibrahimov was released after giving an explanation.
In 2022, in the temporarily occupied Crimea, at least 234 cases of bringing to administrative liability on accusations of discrediting the russian army were recorded.
We shall remind you that since 2014, the occupiers have regularly issued warnings to activists on the eve of holidays and anniversaries, most often reminding on the ban on mass actions.