On March 3, 2014, Crimean Tatar activist Reshat Ametov went to the central square of Simferopol for a one-man picket against the Russian occupation of Crimea. He openly declared the right to live freely on his own land and refused to recognize the illegal actions of the occupiers. This was one of the first public acts of resistance after the seizure of the peninsula.

Reshat Ametov supported the Revolution of Dignity and planned to volunteer at the military commissariat. A few days before his protest, he wrote on social media about his intention to hold a standing protest. However, on March 3, he was detained by representatives of the so-called Crimean self-defense in the presence of Russian military personnel and taken to an unknown location. He was never seen alive again.

On March 15, 2014, the body of Reshat Ametov, bearing signs of torture, was found in the village of Zemlyanychne in the Bilohirsk district—he became the first civilian victim of Russia’s aggression in Crimea. On March 18, thousands of Crimean Tatars gathered in Simferopol to pay their last respects.

The perpetrators have still not been punished. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies classify the murder as a war crime and a crime against humanity. Due to the occupation of Crimea, access to the case materials is limited, but documentation efforts are ongoing. In particular, in 2019, the Ukrainian side named the suspects in the abduction.

Reshat Ametov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. His name has become a symbol of the first victim of the Russian occupation of Crimea and a symbol of indomitability. Remembering his heroic act, we continue the fight for the liberation of Crimea and for justice for all who have suffered from the occupation.