Crimean political prisoner Aziz Akhtemov being transferred to Siberia

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets posted this on Telegram.

The Ombudsman emphasized that transferring Ukrainian citizens to the territory of Russia is a gross violation of the Geneva Convention and norms of international humanitarian law regarding the humane treatment of civilian population during war.

"The occupying power has no right to forcibly displace civilians from the occupied territory to its own. Moreover, citizens of Ukraine from the temporarily occupied Crimea are subjected to pressure and trials in the harsh climate," he noted.

The Commissioner added that, in accordance with the European Prison Rules, prisoners should be sent to institutions located not far from the settlement where they lived to serve their sentences.

In its practice, the European Court of Human Rights also recognized that placing convicts in a remote penal facility is an interference with their rights under Article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. It is about facilities located several thousand kilometers from a settlement where the families of prisoners live.

"The international community must respond decisively to the Russian Federation's violation of the norms of international humanitarian law and demand the immediate release of all illegally imprisoned citizens of Ukraine," Lubinets emphasized.

As reported, First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelyal was transferred to Minusinsk the other day. There is no exact information about his whereabouts and health condition.

The "sentence" in the case of Dzhelyal and the Akhtemov brothers was passed by a pseudo-court in Crimea in September 2022.

Dzhelyal was accused of "smuggling an explosive device", the Akhtemov brothers – of "act of sabotage committed by a group of persons, illegal acquisition, possession of explosives and smuggling of explosive devices".

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