Crimean Tatar activist and Kremlin political prisoner Server Mustafaiev has been named a recipient of the prestigious human rights award by the international organization Freedom House. The recognition honours his contribution to the advancement of human rights and democracy.

This year, Freedom House awarded Server Mustafaiev the Alfred Moses Liberty Award. The honour was received on his behalf by Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, during the official ceremony.

“It was a great honour for me to accept this award on his behalf and to remind the world about Server and all other Ukrainian citizens who are held hostage and unlawfully detained by Russia. This recognition serves as an important reminder of Ukraine’s and the Crimean Tatar people’s struggle against the brutal repressions of the Russian Federation. The Kremlin’s crimes against Crimean Tatars and its genocidal war against Ukraine are a continuation of the unpunished, inhumane policies of the empire of evil — from the 1944 deportation to all other crimes committed against Ukrainians,” stated Oksana Markarova.

Server Mustafaiev is a Crimean Tatar, civic activist, and coordinator of the Crimean Solidarity initiative, which unites the families of political prisoners, lawyers, and activists documenting human rights violations on the temporarily occupied peninsula. He has consistently advocated for the protection of victims of political repression.

In May 2018, Mustafaiev was detained by representatives of the Russian occupation administration on charges of alleged “terrorist activity.” Following his arrest, he was unlawfully transferred to Rostov-on-Don, where he repeatedly reported human rights violations in the detention centre, including lack of adequate medical care, restricted access to outdoor walks, and a hunger strike in protest against his detention conditions.

In September 2020, an occupation court found Server Mustafaiev guilty of “terrorist activity” and unlawfully sentenced him to 14 years in prison. His case is one of many examples of politically motivated persecution by the occupying administration targeting Ukrainian citizens on political, ethnic, and religious grounds.

We call on the international community to increase pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure the release of all those it holds unlawfully behind bars.