CrimeaSOS: deportation of Crimean political prisoners to russia is a war crime

Deporting victims of politically motivated persecution in Crimea to russia is a war crime. CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko told about it live for Hromadske Radio.

“Persons involved in the so-called “Hizb ut-Tahrir cases” are initially detained in the Simferopol pre-trial detention centre, and then, at the stage of trial, they are taken to the detention centres of the Rostov region… The fact that they are taken from the occupied territory to the territory of the occupying state is a war crime”, – said Yevhenii Yaroshenko.

According to the norms 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 he/she must serve the sentence there.

In addition, the occupiers transfer the victims of politically motivated persecution from Crimea to serve their sentences in penal colonies in Salavat (Bashkartostan), Yeniseysk (Krasnoyarsk Territory) and other remote regions of the russian federation. Thus, the stay of Crimean political prisoners in correctional colonies, which are located at such a great distance from the peninsula, creates obstacles for the timely access of lawyers.

“Such transfers create additional obstacles for relatives, because getting to such places is costly both in terms of time and money for the families of political prisoners”, – added the analyst.

During the nine years of occupation of Crimea, 101 citizens of Ukraine became victims of political persecution in “Hizb ut-Tahrir cases”.

Reference: “Hizb ut-Tahrir” is an international Islamic political party, which was recognized as a terrorist organization by the decision of the supreme court of the russian federation in 2003, but it legally operates on the territory of Ukraine and most countries of the world. The occupiers sentence to up to 19 years in prison for alleged involvement in “Hizb ut-Tahrir”.