Human rights activists report on over 230 cases of political prosecution in occupied Crimea

Liudmyla Korotkykh, manager at the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, made a corresponding statement at the UN Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Center's Facebook page.

During her speech, Korotkykh spoke about the destruction of the legal independent judicial system in occupied Crimea and the establishment of a system of Russian so-called courts instead.

According to the human rights activist, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center recorded 234 cases of criminal prosecution of local residents for political reasons over the occupation of the peninsula.

"In most cases, a court's ruling is known in advance. Court hearings are often held behind closed doors, media and relatives are banned from attending, other aspects of the right to a fair trial and an effective mechanism of legal protection are violated," the expert said.

According to her, the indigenous Crimean Tatar people mostly suffer more from such arbitrariness.

The activist noted that the prosecution of lawyers, representatives of the indigenous population, involved in political cases had become commonplace in Crimea. In this context, she mentioned the "case" of Edem Semedlyaev, who was sentenced to 12 days of administrative arrest and a fine of RUB 4,000.

Korotkykh stated that the Crimean Tatar Resource Center called on Russia to stop discriminating against the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, ensure equal access to fair and independent justice for all residents of the peninsula, and stop the illegal occupation of Crimea.

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