Russia has illegally extended its legislation to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is why the occupiers have been implementing the practice of criminal and administrative prosecution of Ukrainian citizens for political reasons in Crimea for more than 8 years. One of the most characteristic and typical practices is criminal prosecution for participation in the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhikhan under Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for 8 to 15 years in prison for participation, and 10 to 20 years for “creation and leadership of an armed formation (association, detachment, squad or other group) that is not provided for by federal law and contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation.”
Also, on the eve of the occupation of Crimea, Russia established its extraterritorial criminal jurisdiction over the participation of any person on the territory of a foreign state in an armed formation not provided for by the legislation of that state for purposes contrary to the interests of Russia.
Thus, the occupying country has created a tool for criminal prosecution of members of any volunteer formations in Ukraine that are not part of the security and defense forces of Ukraine and whose activities are aimed at countering Russian aggression.
The key accusations of the Russian Federation against the members of the Noman Chelebidzhikhan battalion are: participation in the organization and implementation of the “food blockade” of the occupied Crimea, participation in the liberation of Crimea from Russian invaders, blowing up power lines and implementing the “energy blockade” of the occupied Crimea, arming the battalion members with Kalashnikovs, Makarov pistols, as well as automatic machine guns and hand grenade launchers.
As of October 2022, the occupation court registers of Crimea contain information on 31 cases under Part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, in 25 cases a guilty verdict was delivered, although in one case it was canceled. 5 proceedings are under consideration, and in 2 more cases, appeals against earlier verdicts are pending.
In total, under this article, the occupiers are illegally trying or have illegally convicted 31 Ukrainian citizens: Medzhit Abdurazakov, Ruslan Abdurakhmanov, Medzhit Ablyamitov, Mukhtar Avamilov, Evelina Arifova, Akeem Gafarov, Dilaver Gafarov, Izet Gdanov, Rustem Guguryk, Serhiy Gudym, Salim Gulyamov, Mamed Dovgopoly, Alim Yenieleiev, Nazim Yenieleiev, Nariman Yenieleiev, Arsen Ibraimov, Lenur Islyamov, Edem Kadyrov, Aidyn Mamutov, Oleksiy Makarov, Nariman Mezhmedinov, Artur Memetsayev, Rustem Osmanov, Gayde Rizaeva, Fevzi Sagandzhi, Eskender Seit-Nebiyev, Nasrulla Seidaliyev, Seyran Taymazov, Konstantin Tereshchenko, Ayder Umerov, Igor Khalilov.
‼️ The Mission strongly condemns the unlawful criminal persecution of Ukrainian citizens, in particular representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, and demands that the Russian Federation immediately release all those illegally convicted!
Such facts are being investigated under the procedural procedure of law enforcement agencies and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. We call on the international community to condemn the unlawful criminal persecution of Ukrainian citizens for political and religious reasons under occupation, and to increase pressure on the aggressor country.
Repressions and massive human rights violations in the occupied Crimea must stop, and Ukraine is making every effort to do so. Only the complete de-occupation of the Crimean peninsula will stop the criminal actions of the Russian Federation, ensure the protection of rights and restore justice for the victims of these crimes!