CrimeaSOS: at least 15 Crimean political prisoners were transferred to russian penitentiaries in 2022

In 2022, at least 15 victims of politically motivated persecution in Crimea were transferred to russian penitentiary institutions. This was reported by CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko.

“Contrary to many provisions of international law, russia takes victims of politically motivated persecution to its territory. We calculated that in 2022 alone, at least 15 political prisoners from the occupied Crimea were transferred to penal colonies in the territory of the russian federation”, — said Yevhenii Yaroshenko.

The geography of these penitentiary institutions is very wide — from the Tambov region to the Krasnoyarsk region. The stay of political prisoners in correctional colonies located at such a great distance from the peninsula creates obstacles for the timely access of lawyers.

“In my opinion, in order to return the citizens of Ukraine home, it is necessary to involve various instruments: from military to political and diplomatic. There is a belief that the more military victories there are, the stronger Ukraine’s negotiating position will become. Accordingly, it will be easier to achieve the release of all captured Ukrainians — not only military, but also civilians”, —the analyst added.

We shall remind you that the transfer of Crimean political prisoners to russia is a war crime. According to the provisions of international humanitarian law, even if a person committed a criminal offense in the occupied territory, he/she must be tried in the occupied territory and serve sentence there.