Nearly 200 political cases recorded in Crimea, majority against Crimean Tatars
As of Dec. 2023, there have been 191 instances of politically-motivated persecutions affecting residents of the occupied Crimean peninsula, with 123 of these cases involving Crimean Tatars, Tamila Tasheva, the Presidential Representative of Ukraine in Crimea, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on Dec. 20.
Tasheva noted that Russian occupation authorities often accuse local residents of “terrorism” and “sabotage,” especially Crimean Tatars.
“On the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea, the representatives of the indigenous people — the Crimean Tatars — are the most persecuted and repressed,” said the parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.
As part of a policy to replace the indigenous population of Ukrainians, Russians are importing migrants from Central Asia into the occupied territories. This is linked to Russians efforts to alter the demographic composition of the population in the temporarily occupied territories, reported the National Resistance Center.
Russia has illegally detained 116 representatives of indigenous people of Ukraine. Among the Kremlin's prisoners are human rights activists Abdurrashid Djeparov, Lenie Umerov, and politician Nariman Dzhelyal. Additionally, Crimean Tatars are persecuted in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, with on trumped-up charges of “terrorism”.
All lists of political prisoners are forwarded to international partners and to the Presidential Office in Kyiv for exchange purposes, but the release of any of the political prisoners is not expected soon, Tasheva said.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
