The repressive machine of the Russian Federation, which has been operating on the annexed Crimean peninsula since 2014, continues not only to deprive local residents of their liberty, but also to inflict untold pain on their families. Human rights defenders are sounding the alarm: long sentences, unbearable conditions of detention, separation from relatives and chronic stress are destroying the families of Crimean political prisoners, Krym.Realii reports.
According to the civil movement’Crimean Solidarity’, at least 27 close relatives of the political prisoners died before their return. Among them – fathers, mothers, grandparents. “This is a bitter number that is hard to accept. We must make even more efforts to ensure that everyone finally returns to their parents and children.” – said Crimean human rights activist Lutfiye Zudiyeva.
There are several tragic stories of political prisoners:
- Irina Danilovich, a nurse from Feodosia and a citizen journalist, was sentenced by a Russian court to seven years in prison. In August, it became known that her 78-year-old father, Bronislav Danilovich, who had been actively fighting for his daughter’s release, had died. Irina was unable to say goodbye to her father because she is in a penal colony in the Stavropol Territory.
- Raim Aivazov, an activist of the Crimean Solidarity and a defendant in the ‘second Simferopol group’ in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, lost his 57-year-old father Khalil Aivazov. The man died suddenly, before he could meet his son, who is serving a 17-year sentence in the Arkhangelsk region.
- Lenur Khalilov from Bolshaya Alushta was left without his 88-year-old mother Resude Khalilova, who survived the deportation of Crimean Tatars. Lenur has been imprisoned since 2019, sentenced to 18 years on charges of terrorist activity , which he denies .
- Ametkhan Umerov from Bakhchisarai suffered a double loss: His 86-year-old grandfather Ayder Komurji and 66-year-old father Ayder Umerov died in autumn. Ametkhan has been in pre-trial detention since August 2023 and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Russian repression has affected not only individuals but also entire families:
- The husband, brother and brother-in-law of Fatime Yanikova ‘s family were arrested.
- Fatma Ismailova lost her husband, brother and father.
- Zera Suleymanova lost two sons who ended up in Russian prisons.
“These closed courts remind me of the deportation of 1944. We feel like our great-grandmothers , when our people were deported so vilely,” said Fatime Yanikova.
Staying in Russian prisons is often accompanied by harsh conditions, which leads to deterioration of the health of political prisoners. There are at least two known deaths of Crimean political prisoners in custody due to the lack of medical care: Konstantin Shiring and Dzhemil Gafarov.
According to the representative office of the President of Ukraine in the ARC, 219 Crimean political prisoners, including activists, civil society journalists and religious leaders, have been held in Russian prisons since the annexation. Human rights activists emphasise that the actual number may be higher, as there is no access to objective information.
Human rights defenders and civil society activists call on the international community to pay attention to systematic human rights violations in the annexed Crimea. “The issue of the return of Crimean political prisoners must be removed from the regime of long-term waiting,” Lutfiye Zudiyeva emphasises.
The Russian repression in Crimea is causing irreparable harm not only to the political prisoners themselves, but also to their families and the entire Crimean Tatar people. The loss of loved ones, the destruction of families and the disregard for basic human rights require an immediate response from the international community and increased efforts to release all illegally detained persons.
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