US calls on Russia to free all Ukrainian political prisoners

13.01.2021 17:10

Ukrinform

The United States has called unjust the Russian court's conviction of three Ukrainian citizens, Crimean Tatars, in the case of the so-called Bilohirsk group of Hizb ut-Tahrir, and urged Russia to free all Ukrainian political prisoners.

“Russia reportedly sentenced three Crimean Tatars to a total 48 years in prison, its latest set of unjust convictions. Russia has no right to detain, prosecute, or convict Ukrainians on Ukrainian soil. We call on Russia to free all Ukrainian political prisoners,” the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine posted on Twitter.

As reported, the Southern Military District Court in Rostov-on-Don (Russia) ruled on January 12 to sentence Enver Omerov to 18 years, Riza Omerov – 13 years, Ayder Dzhapparov – to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony.

All three men are residents of Bilohirsk district of Crimea and were detained on June 10, 2019. They were charged with "conducting terrorist activities" and participating in the activities of the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir.