On 14 April 2026, an online meeting took place between Aishe Kurtamet, mother of Crimean political prisoner Appaz Kurtamet, and the Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union (SUSK). The meeting was also attended by Alina Olefir and Olena Skliar, Chief Consultants of the Crimea Platform Department, and Nataliia Kuzmanenko, representing the Crimean Human Rights Group.

SUSK joined the advocacy mentoring initiative in November 2025, becoming mentors to three Crimean political prisoners: Appaz Kurtamet, Abdulmedzhyt Seitumerov, and Andrii Kulievych.

During the meeting, the participants discussed Appaz Kurtamet’s current situation and the challenges his family faces. Aishe shared updates on her son’s mental health and stressed the importance of maintaining contact with him while he is illegally imprisoned. The participants also focused on ways to assist Appaz and to draw the international community’s attention to the plight of youth from temporarily occupied Crimea who are illegally held in Russian prisons for their pro-Ukrainian stance.

The involvement of foreign youth organisations helps keep the release of Crimean captives on the global agenda. The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea expresses its gratitude to SUSK for joining the initiative and supporting Crimean youth.