Today, May 6, is the birthday of civilian journalist Iryna Danilovych. Iryna wrote about the rights of medical workers and also collaborated with publications that covered political trials in occupied Crimea.

On April 29, 2022, she was abducted by Russian security forces in civilian clothes. For 13 days, there was no contact with Irina, and later the family was informed that she was in a pre-trial detention center in Simferopol.

Irina was charged with “illegal actions with explosives”.

In July 2022, she reported being beaten by an FSB convoy and subjected to psychological pressure by Russian security forces.

On December 28, 2022, a Russian-controlled district “court” in Feodosia sentenced Irina Danilovich to 7 years in prison.

On March 21, 2023, Irina Danilovich announced the beginning of a dry hunger strike in protest against the denial of medical care.

On May 2, 2023, the occupying Supreme Court of the occupied Crimea returned the case against civilian journalist Irina Danilovich to the occupying Feodosia City Court because the defendant had not completed her familiarization with the case file.

Today, on Irina’s birthday, we urge you to join the Letters to a Free Crimea initiative and write a letter to her and other political prisoners who are illegally detained in occupied Crimea or deported to the territory of the Russian Federation. Instructions for writing letters can be found here: https://cutt.ly/e5IoS7o

A large number of letters is an important message for prison administrations that a person cannot be injured or even killed, because it will immediately become known to the public, so we urge as many people as possible to join the action.