There are about 180 political prisoners in Crimean jails, according to the Ukrainian government and human rights organizations. These are mainly Crimean Tatars, an indigenous people of the Muslim faith, Crimean activists who have opposed Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula since 2014, and citizen journalists who have tried to circumvent the yoke of lead imposed by Kremlin propaganda.
With this crackdown, Russia would seek to destroy any opposition in Crimea to give the impression that the population of the peninsula supports the annexation of the territory to Russia, believes Olga Skrypnyk, who is head of the Crimean Group for the rights of the person. “It’s very important for Russia to destroy this activism and hide it in the prisons,” she said. And the Russian authorities then publicize these cases to enrich the propaganda. The FSB [le service russe de renseignement] says: you see, the Tatars are terrorists and the Ukrainians are Nazis. »
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Loubinets, strongly denounced Russia’s repression in Crimea in a statement posted on Telegram last February. “Due to the constant fear of Ukrainian resistance, Russia does not stop the severe repression and persecution of our citizens in temporarily occupied Crimea: illegal searches, fabricated criminal cases, fabricated convictions of outright, especially against representatives of the indigenous peoples of the peninsula — the Crimean Tatars,” he wrote.
Categories of prisoners
Many Tatars — including Ansar Osmanov, who received a record 20-year prison sentence last June — are being prosecuted under Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which relates to terrorist activities. “These activists are accused of being involved in the Islamic movement Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is not banned in Ukraine and in many other countries [mais qui est considéré comme une organisation terroriste en Russie] says Igor Kotelianets, who heads the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners in the Kremlin, which documents political persecution in Crimea. “Russia uses its anti-terrorism legislation mainly as a pretext to persecute Crimeans who are not loyal to the occupation regime. »
Moreover, Crimeans — like Dmytro Shtyblikov, who was due to be released in November 2021 after five years in prison for sabotage and who instead faced new charges, high treason, for which he will have to spend another 19.5 years. behind bars — are imprisoned for speaking out against the Russian occupation, being accused of sabotage or cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence services.
There is no more freedom of the press in Crimea. These are often citizens who provide information on searches and court hearings, for example.
And citizen journalists—including Iryna Danilovich, a health care worker who will serve a seven-year prison sentence—are being held captive. “There is no more freedom of the press in Crimea,” explains Olga Skrypnyk. These are often citizens who provide information on searches and court hearings, for example, but without being professional journalists, since this status is very dangerous. »
Torture
Prior to the full-scale invasion launched on February 24, 2022, 123 Ukrainians were labeled as political prisoners in Crimea. This figure has since risen to 180. A second detention center has been opened in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, report Olga Skrypnyk and Igor Kotelianets.
While the first detention center would be used to accommodate political prisoners from Crimea, this new prison would hold captive political prisoners from regions that have fallen under Russian rule since February 24, 2022, says Olga Skrypnyk. “Several Ukrainians (activists, representatives of regional authorities, journalists), in the newly occupied territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, were abducted by Russian soldiers and transferred to Simferopol”, she specifies. . Some prisoners are also sent to detention centers and penal colonies in Russia.
Torture is said to be practiced systematically. According to testimonies collected, political prisoners are allegedly beaten, their ears and genitals are subjected to electric shocks and mock executions are imposed on them.
In his February statement on Telegram, Dmytro Loubinets lamented the deaths of two political prisoners who were subjected to torture, he wrote. They are Kostiantyn Shiring, a 61-year-old man sentenced to 12 years in prison for espionage, and Djemil Gafarov, a 60-year-old Tatar man sentenced to 13 years in prison for terrorism-related charges. The two men would not have received the medical care necessary for their condition.
Prisoner exchanges
The families’ main hope is that their loved one will be part of political prisoner exchanges. On two occasions since the annexation of Crimea, such exchanges have taken place — the latest on September 7, 2019, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to power. Igor Kotelianets’ brother, Yevhen Panov, was released on this occasion. The man, who distributed humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian military, was imprisoned in 2016 and accused of planning acts of sabotage on the peninsula. “He was brutally tortured, as a result of which Yevhen not only testified against himself, but also, at the request of the FSB, signed a refusal of services for the lawyer hired by our family,” says Igor Kotelianets .
After 2019, other agreements would have been concluded with Russia for the realization of exchanges, he continues, specifying that his association had participated in the elaboration of lists of political prisoners. “But none of this happened: the Russian side does not keep its promises, without providing explanations”, deplores Igor Kotelianets.
Since the full-scale invasion, practically only military personnel have been exchanged between Ukraine and Russia. “Russia refuses to work on cases that affect civilians. We no longer have the means to release these political prisoners”, deplores Olga Skrypnyk, who now hopes that a third country, such as China, can serve as an intermediary to bring Russia back to the negotiating table.