On September 14, 2024, in Crimea, the occupiers illegally arrested an activist with visual impairment, Oleksandr Sizikov, and took him to an unknown destination. During his detention, Russian security forces threatened to use force against him and prosecute him for “failure to comply with the lawful demands of police officers.” 

“I have just received a call from Oleksandr Sizikov and his mother. I was informed that the occupational law enforcement officers had arrived to execute the court verdict.’ At the request of his mother to show them the ‘court’ ruling with a seal, they said that they did not have such a ruling,” the activist’s lawyer said.

On July 7, 2020, regular mass inspections of the Crimean Tatar population of Crimea took place in the so-called “case of Crimean Muslims,” and Oleksandr Sizikov, who has a group I disability, was detained at the same time. Since then, he has been under house arrest.

On May 17, 2023, he was unlawfully sentenced to 17 years in a penal colony, of which the first four years must be spent in prison. While the appeal was pending, he continued to be held under house arrest until September 13, 2024, when the so-called ‘court of appeal’ of Vlasykha, Russian Federation, upheld the sentence, disregarding the Crimean Tatar’s medical condition.

The occupying state continues to systematically persecute pro-Ukrainian citizens, illegally arresting and imprisoning even those with severe illnesses or impairments, even though such actions are contrary to international law. Russia not only disregards the health status of these political prisoners but also fails to provide them with proper medical care, which leads to severe consequences for their health, often worsening their illnesses and leaving them with no chance of recovery.

We urge the international community to respond decisively to the illegal actions of the occupying state and to condemn the systematic persecution and harassment of Ukrainian citizens and Indigenous people in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea!