Imprisoned in Russia for the Struggle for Ukrainian Crimea. Remembering the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol

February 26 marks the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. On this day in 2014, a pro-Ukrainian peaceful protest attended by 10,000 Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, and representatives of other nationalities took place in front of the Crimean Parliament. All of them opposed the Russian occupation and supported the inviolability and integrity of Ukraine. Thanks to that rally, the parliamentary session was canceled. On its 10th anniversary, we would like to give you a short account of the ways the occupation Russian authorities are treating those who dare to maintain even the slightest resistance in Crimea. 

“Extremism”, “terrorism” and punishment for the truth

As of January 2024, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center data shows 307 registered prisoners and persecuted individuals throughout the temporary occupation of Crimea. Most of them are Crimean Tatars. Thus, 150 Crimeans are serving sentences in penal colonies, 35 are on probation, 35 are held in pre-trial detention centers, 33 are under persecution, and only 54 have been released. 

People are detained on false charges – for extremism, terrorism, and, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, for “discrediting” the Russian armed forces. The latter charge is brought even when people are caught calling things what they are, for example, calling the “SVO” (special military operation) the war. In 2023, an increasing number of cases refer to the participation in the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion, which has been declared a terrorist organization in Russia. At the same time, Russian actions have become more brutal. For minor violations, the police immediately twist the offenders’ arms, literally throw them in buses, and take them to the stations, and in some cases, the offenders are issued conscription notices. For major offenses, people are put to torture almost instantly. 

In this fashion, the Russian occupation authorities are trying to outroot any resistance, to intimidate people to the extent that they are afraid to express their opinions or voice dissent. Any free-thinking and open-minded individuals are called “terrorists” and their actions are placed on the same footing as Nazism and threat to national security. On the one hand, the invaders are trying to pretend that there is almost no resistance, on the other — there is the number of punishments. For most people, these methods work, which is understandable, because people fear for their safety. But some astound with their courage and strength to fight. 

Ukrainian anthem in Russian court

Perhaps everyone has heard the story of Oleh Sentsov, a Ukrainian director, producer, and writer from Simferopol, who was illegally sentenced to 20 years in prison in the “Crimean Terrorist Trial”. Sentsov spent 5 years behind bars in Russia, allegedly for establishing the Crimean branch of the Right Sector. The Center for Civil Liberties raised a banner for his release and launched a successful international campaign #SaveOlegSentsov. In prison, Oleh went on a long-term hunger strike, which posed risks to his life, but guaranteed international attention. This worked, as well as the contribution of human rights activists and numerous rallies in support of the director. 

Along with Sentsov, the sentence was passed to student and activist Oleksandr Kolchenko, and after that, both Crimeans sang the Ukrainian anthem in the courtroom. This says a lot about Oleksandr, who was a student and an activist substantially involved in pro-Ukrainian rallies in 2014. At the time, the 24-year-old was detained and charged with membership in the Right Sector subversive and terrorist group. Pro forma, he was convicted of arson at the offices of the United Russia political party in Simferopol. The cases of Kolchenko and Sentsov were merged by the FSB, and human rights advocates called the phenomenon the “Crimean Terrorist Trial”. He was sentenced to 10 years in a maximum security prison for “membership in a terrorist group” and for “conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism”. 

On September 7, 2019, Sentsov and Kolchenko – as well as 33 other prisoners – returned home as a result of prisoner exchange.

The struggle goes on

Many Crimeans are still behind bars in Russia. One of them is Nariman Dzhelial, First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, journalist, and educator. In 2022, the Supreme Court of Crimea sentenced him to 17 years in a maximum security prison, a fine of 700,000 rubles, and a one-and-a-half-year restriction of rights once he served the sentence. Allegedly, the man is guilty of sabotage on a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalne, as well as “smuggling and storage of explosives”.

Human rights activist and journalist Riza Izetov was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the alleged involvement with the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami international Islamic organization, which is banned in Russia and Crimea. The same accusation was used to cover up other confinements in prison. For example, Server Mustafaiev, Crimean Tatar human rights activist and Crimean Solidarity journalist, was arrested by Russian security forces after searches in 2018. He was sentenced to 14 years and recently transferred to a maximum security prison without justification. In 2021, Amet Suleimanov, a journalist and a streamer with the Crimean Solidarity NGO, was sentenced to 12 years in a maximum security prison for alleged involvement in the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami international Islamic organization. 

In December 2022, Russian security forces detained Crimean Tatar Leniie Umerova on the Russian-Georgian border on her way to visit her sick father in Crimea. She was accused of espionage and unlawfully detained. 

We have to remember these people, their deeds, and their names. We should tell their stories and draw international public response to their cases. To achieve the release of the innocents, and push ahead with fair punishment for those deserving it for a while now. After all, Crimea is a part of Ukraine!