Lubinets: Russia illegally holds 180 political prisoners, most of them Crimean Tatars

Lubinets: Russia illegally holds 180 political prisoners, most of them Crimean Tatars

Ukrinform
The resistance to the Russian occupation of Crimea has been ongoing for nine years, since February 26, 2014. So far, 180 people have become Kremlin's political prisoners, most of whom are Crimean Tatars.

"February 26 became for all of us a symbol of resistance to the Russian occupation, which has been going on for nine years. It was on this day in 2014 that a mass rally in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, organized by the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, took place near the Crimean parliament in Simferopol," Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets posted on Telegram on the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and City of Sevastopol.

Due to the constant fear of Ukrainian resistance, Russia does not stop harsh repression and persecution of Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied Crimea: illegal searches, trumped-up criminal cases, fabricated sentences, in particular against representatives of the indigenous people of the peninsula – the Crimean Tatars, the Ombudsman said.

Read also: Ukraine marks Day of Resistance to Russia’s Occupation of Crimea

Currently, the Russian Federation illegally holds 180 political prisoners, 116 of them are Crimean Tatars. "The recent death of two tortured political prisoners – Kostiantyn Shyring and Dzhemil Hafarov – in the Kremlin's cells, was Russia’s flagrant violation of fundamental human rights and norms of international law. They were not provided with the necessary medical care," Lubinets emphasized.

Read also: Conscripts brought from Russia to set up fortifications in Crimea

But even paying such a high price for the right to live in a free, independent, and sovereign state will not stop the Ukrainian people, the Ombudsman believes. "Standing together, we resist Russian armed aggression and defend our homeland," he stressed.

While citing and using any materials on the Internet, links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory. In addition, citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet. Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No. 270/96-VR of July 3, 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No. 2849-Х of March 31, 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice.

© 2015-2024 Ukrinform. All rights reserved.

Extended searchHide extended search
By period:
-