CrimeaSOS: at least 10 waves of mass arrests took place in the temporarily occupied Crimea
29 / 08 / 2023
Since the beginning of 2021, there have been at least 10 waves of mass arrests near the buildings of the occupation institutions in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Only from September to November 2021, russian police officers in Crimea carried out six mass waves of arrests of Crimean Tatar activists.
On September 4, 2021, more than 60 people were detained near the building of the FSB of the russian federation in occupied Simferopol, who came out in support of previously detained Crimean Tatars, including Nariman Dzhelial. The security forces filed 58 administrative proceedings, 24 people were fined for allegedly “violating the mask regime” in amounts from RUB 5 to 30 thousand.
On October 11, 2021, the police detained 20 Crimean Tatar activists who gathered near the “court” to learn about the outcome of the court session regarding the Krasnohvardiiske group of the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”. Seven people were fined from RUB 5 to 20 thousand.
On October 25, 2021, 21 people were detained near the “court” building, where the hearing regarding the Krasnohvardiiske group of the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case” was broadcast. Lawyers were not allowed to visit the detainees, being threatened with administrative liability for allegedly “disobeying the lawful demand of a police officer”. Lawyer Edem Semedliaiev was among those detained that day; he was later arrested for 12 days for allegedly “disobeying the lawful demand of a police officer”. 14 people were fined RUB 10 and 15 thousand.
On October 29, 2021, the occupation police detained 31 Crimean Tatar activists and citizen journalists who gathered near the “court” building. On that day, the verdicts were announced for those involved in the third Bakhchysarai group of the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”.
On November 1, 2021, 19 Crimean Tatar activists were detained. They wanted to know the results of the court session regarding the Krasnohvardiiske group of the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”. 12 people were fined from RUB 8 to 15 thousand for “violation of quarantine measures”.
On November 23, 2021, 31 people were detained during the meeting with Edem Semedliaiev who was released after serving his administrative arrest. The detainees included women and children. The so-called “courts” arrested 21 people for 10 to 14 days and fined 9 people in the amount of RUB 10 to 15 thousand.
On February 18, 2022, 15 Crimean Tatars were detained near the building of the “Bakhchysarai District Court”. They came to support the previously detained Qurultay delegate, cultural expert Edem Dudakov. On February 19, the same “court” punished the detainees with administrative arrests; three people had to pay fines in the amount of RUB 10 and 12 thousand.
On January 25, 2023, 34 people were detained near the “Kyiv District Court” in Simferopol, where the hearing of the case of six Crimean Tatars, detained after a wave of searches in the Dzhankoi area, took place. Seven detainees were released; a person with a disability of the second group had to pay a fine of RUB 20 thousand, the rest were sent to administrative arrest for 10 to 16 days.
On July 27, 2023, 14 people were detained near the building of the “Supreme Court” of Crimea in Simferopol. The appeal hearing in the case of Nariman Dzhelial and the Akhtemov brothers was broadcast there. Those detained included relatives of political prisoners and journalists Kulemet Ibraimov and Lutfiie Zudiieva. For alleged “participation in the mass simultaneous presence of citizens in public places”, the “court” placed Kulamet Ibraimov under administrative arrest for 5 days, Lutfiie Zudiieva and three other people were fined from RUB 12 to 15 thousand.
On August 25, 2023, 22 people were detained near the building of the “Kyiv District Court” in Simferopol.They gathered to support six Crimean Tatars, who were detained earlier after searches in the Bakhchysarai area of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. All 22 persons received administrative arrests from 1 to 7 days.
We shall remind you that the occupiers continue using mass administrative arrests and fines of Crimean Tatars as a tool to suppress resistance in the occupied Crimea. Under international law, these detentions violate the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, and the detention of people trying to get to a court hearing may also violate the right to a fair trial.
Photo: Crimean Solidarity