On February 10, 2023, 60-year-old Crimean political prisoner Dzhemil Hafarov died in the Novocherkassk pre-trial detention center. His death was caused by the denial of medical care guaranteed under international law.

Russian occupiers arrested Dzhemil Hafarov in Crimea on March 27, 2019, following searches of his home. Despite suffering from serious health conditions, he was unlawfully sentenced to 13 years in prison and transferred to a penal facility in Russia.

Dzhemil Hafarov had a second-degree disability, suffered from chronic heart and kidney disease, and required regular medical examinations and procedures. However, the occupying state systematically denied him the necessary medical care despite repeated requests for examinations and complaints about inhumane treatment. His lawyers, human rights organizations, and the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea repeatedly raised concerns about these violations.

Dzhemil Hafarov died in the Novocherkassk pre-trial detention center on February 10, 2023. According to the forensic examination, his death from cardiovascular failure was caused by atherosclerotic heart disease. His death marked the second case of a Crimean political prisoner dying in Russian custody since the occupation of Crimea. Just three days earlier, on February 7, 2023, 61-year-old Crimean political prisoner Kostiantyn Shyrinh died in a Russian penal colony in Orenburg.

The systematic denial of medical care constitutes a grave violation of the rights of political prisoners. As of today, the Russian occupation administration has unlawfully detained 218 individuals, including 132 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, on fabricated charges such as terrorism, extremism, and treason.

Many detainees report severe health deterioration—some suffered from chronic illnesses before their imprisonment, while others developed serious conditions due to torture, psychological pressure, and inhumane detention conditions. Their lives remain at serious risk. 

Only the de-occupation of Crimea will guarantee the freedom of those unlawfully imprisoned and restore a life free from oppression and persecution on the Ukrainian peninsula.