BRUSSELS – The European Union condemns the searches and illegal arrest of five leaders of the Crimean Tatars in Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia, and calls on the Russian Federation for their immediate release.
The corresponding Statement by the Spokesperson on the detention of five Crimean Tatar leaders was published in Brussels on Sept. 7.
“The European Union considers the detentions to be politically motivated and illegal under international law. The EU does not recognise the enforcement of Russian legislation in Crimea and Sevastopol and expects all illegally detained Ukrainians to be released without delay,” the statement reads.
The European Union stated that Crimean Tatars “continue to be targeted in Crimea.” “The European Union calls on the Russian Federation to comply with its obligations under international law and stop human rights violations of Crimea residents, as also stated on Aug. 23, 2021, in the common statement of the International Crimean Platform Summit,” the statement reads.
It is noted that the European Union “is unwavering in its support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.”
“The EU does not, and will not, recognise the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia,” the statement says.
As reported, FSB officers detained Eldar Odamanov in the occupied Crimea on the morning of Sept. 3, and Aziz Akhtemov, Asan Akhtemov and Shevket Useinov at night on Sept. 4. On the morning of Sept. 4, after searches in the house, deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Dzhelyalov was detained. The Russian police opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (intentional destruction or damage to property) due to “mechanical” damage to the gas pipeline in the village of Perevalnoye, which is located along the road from Simferopol towards Yalta.
On Sept. 5, in response to the detention of the Crimean Tatars at the Russian-occupied peninsula, a rally in support of them was held near the building of the Russian embassy in Kyiv.
The protest rally was attended by about 70 people. Activists held posters, in particular, with appeals to the international community demanding a response to the detentions on the peninsula. According to head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov, a new wave of searches and arrests of Crimean Tatars in Crimea on Sept. 3-4 is the revenge of the Russian authorities for the summit of the Crimea Platform organized by Ukraine.
Rallies in support of the detained Crimeans also took place on the peninsula. At one of these, officers of the FSB of the Russian Federation detained more than 40 activists, who were later released.
On Sept. 6, the occupation “court” in Crimea illegally elected a preventive measure in the form of detention to three detained Crimean Tatars. So, Dzhelyalov and the Akhtemov brothers were arrested for 60 days, until Nov. 4, on suspicion of alleged involvement in the damage to the gas pipeline in the village of Perevalnoye on Aug. 23. They will be kept in custody in a pretrial detention center in Simferopol.
In addition, Shevket Useinov and Eldar Odamanov were sentenced to administrative arrest for 14 and 15 days, respectively, for their alleged insubordination to police officers. They will serve their arrest in a temporary detention center in Simferopol.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, officers of the Russian special services tortured the detained Crimeans and used physical and psychological violence against them.
