Today, May 26, is the birthday of political prisoner Khalil Mambetov. He is celebrating his 68th birthday behind the bars of the Simferopol Detention Center.

The occupiers arrested him earlier this year. On January 24, the occupation forces conducted massive searches in Dzhankoy district and detained six Crimean Tatars, including pensioner Khalil Mambetov. Along with the other detainees, he was placed in the Simferopol pre-trial detention center, accused of “preparing for a violent seizure of power” and belonging to a “terrorist organization.”

In April, Mambetov was sent for a compulsory psychiatric examination. A few days ago, the man was transferred from the psychiatric hospital to a new pre-trial detention center in Simferopol. During the transfer, the political prisoner’s glasses and Koran were taken away from him. Also, during a meeting with his wife Lilya Mambetova, the occupiers forbade him to speak Crimean Tatar.

“They said that only Russian was allowed. He was pale and tired. His legs hurt a lot. There were bumps from osteoarthritis on his hands, he could not show me his legs, but he said it hurt to step on them. He had osteoarthritis before his arrest. At home, he tried to take medicine, it helped. But now it’s impossible. We sent him several medicines, but he was not given them. I know the conditions there are very harsh. They don’t even allow you to sit on the bed, so that the bed is not wrinkled,” said Lilia Mambetova.

You can support Khalil Mambetov by writing him a letter – we will pass it on to the political prisoner. Also, 180 more prisoners of the Kremlin need words of support, for whom we are collecting letters from those who care as part of the Letters to a Free Crimea campaign. You can find out what exactly you can write to the prisoners in our instructions: https://cutt.ly/e5IoS7o