Azerbaijanis collecting signatures in support of Crimean political prisoners
According to Ukrinform, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center reported this on Facebook, citing the Turkish-language edition of QIRIM.Media QHA.
The initiative was launched by Azerbaijan magazine and the Turkuaz television channel.
According to editor-in-chief Aynur Imran, the document will be officially published after it is signed by at least 30-40 people.
She noted that the issue of Crimean political prisoners had long remained largely overlooked in Azerbaijan’s information space. That is why the campaign’s initiators seek to draw public attention to human rights violations in occupied Crimea.
Particular attention in the appeal is devoted to the health condition of Crimean political prisoner Tofik Abdulgaziyev. The authors stress that he is in serious condition and that his continued detention violates international humanitarian norms and standards for the treatment of prisoners.
The text also states that, under international law, people suffering from serious illnesses have the right to release on humanitarian grounds. The campaign’s initiators expressed hope that Azerbaijan’s diplomatic capabilities would help increase international attention to the issue of Crimean political prisoners and contribute to protecting their rights.
The authors also recalled that the issue of temporarily occupied Crimea was discussed during a meeting between President Aliyev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late April 2026.
The campaign organizers expect that, after the collection of signatures, the issue of Crimean political prisoners will gain broader public resonance in Azerbaijan and attract additional international attention, the rights activists added.
As reported by Ukrinform, since the beginning of Russia’s occupation of Crimea, human rights defenders have verified 520 people persecuted in politically motivated “criminal cases.” More than 270 of them are representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
Photo: Crimean Solidarity
