
Statement By Human Rights Organisations on Prosecution of Crimean Muslims ‘Bilohirsk Group’
On 11 January 2021, the Southern Military District Court of Rostov-on-Don will hold a final...
11 January 2021
The appeal is addressed to international organizations and governments of Ukraine, European Union member states, Switzerland, Norway, United States, Canada, Australia and Japan
On May 21, 2018 Crimean Tatar activists Edem Smayilov and Server Mustafayev were arrested after searches in their homes in Russia-occupied Crimea.
On May 22 Russia-controlled “Kyiv District Court” in Simferopol ordered a 20 day arrest for them – until June 9, 2018. Edem Smayilov and Server Mustafayev have been charged with being members of an organization Russia considers a terrorist group, in accordance with part 2 of Article 205.5 of Russia’s Criminal Code, the case was merged with that of the second “Bakhchisaray group” Hizb ut-Tahrir.
We appeal to international organizations and governments of democratic countries with a request:
We call on the Ukrainian Government:
We are convinced that these incidents have a political agenda. The reason for the persecution of Ukrainian citizens Edem Smayilov and Server Mustafayev is their active civic stance and attempts of Russia-controlled Crimean authorities to suppress all resistance on the peninsula. Server Mustafayev is a well-known human rights defender and one of the coordinators of the Crimean Solidarity public initiative, created to protect victims of human rights violations on the peninsula. Server Mustafayev formed and coordinated the work of a team of local activists that record on video unlawful searches of the homes of Crimean Tatars and court proceedings on political cases; he maintained contact between the media and local activists and provided information about current events in Crimea. Edem Smayilov actively expressed his solidarity with the families of the unlawfully detained, often attending court hearings and searches.
In light of the repeated attempts to exert pressure on members of the Crimean Solidarity and Server Mustafayev’s important role in this initiative, we consider his arrest an attempt to create further obstacles for the activities of the Crimean Solidarity.
We strongly condemn the persecution of activists in the occupied Crimea and demand that Russian authorities immediately stop human rights violations and release unlawfully detained citizens of Ukraine.
The Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already published a protest against the unlawful arrest of Server Mustafayev and Edem Smayilov, yet to ensure effective protection of Ukrainian citizens, it is necessary not only to increase pressure on the Russian Federation at the bilateral and international level, but also to immediately pass the law on the status of protected persons and provide systemic state support to Kremlin’s political prisoners and their families.
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
Media Initiative for Human Rights
Human Rights Information Center
Crimean Human Rights Group
People in Need
NGO Crimean Human Rights Movement
NGO Crimea SOS
Regional Center for Human Rights
Public movement Crimean Solidarity
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