In Crimea, Russian occupiers captured five Crimean Tatars

On the morning of 5 February, in the Dzhankoy district of temporarily occupied Crimea, Russian occupiers searched Crimean Tatars and detained them. Refat Chubarov, the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, reported this on Facebook.

“From 4:00 on 5 February 2025, mass searches have been taking place in the homes of Crimean Tatars. Currently, we know about searches in the house of Emir Kurtnezirov, the son of political prisoner Remzi Kurtnezirov, who lives in the village of Dzhadra (occupational name – Lobanovo); in the house of Abibula Smedlyaev, the father of four minor children, who lives in the village of Borlak Tama (occupational name – Novokrymske); in the house of Rustem Mustafaev, the father of three minor children, who lives in the village of Ilk Chok’rak (occupational name – Istochnoye),” he wrote. The head of the Mejlis noted that this happened in the Dzhankoy district of Crimea.According to Chubarov, Russian security forces detained and took Emir Kurtnezirov, Abibulla Smedlyaev, and Rustem Mustafaev to Simferopol.

Human rights activist Lutfiye Zudiyeva writes that five people were detained in total. In addition to 29-year-old agronomist Kurtnezirov, 33-year-old Smedlyaev, and 37-year-old plumber Mustafaev, the occupiers captured 44-year-old cook Mirzaala Tazhybaev and Bakhtiyar Ablaev.

The human rights community “Crimean Solidarity” reported on Facebook that the so-called “Kyiv District Court of Simferopol” is choosing a preventive measure for the detainees in closed mode. One of the detainees, K.Urtnezirov, has already been placed under arrest until 4 April.

Context

After the occupation of Crimea in 2014, according to human rights activists, the human rights situation on the peninsula deteriorated significantly.

Under various pretexts, including the fight against extremism, the occupation authorities persecute people who dare to openly criticize Russia’s actions on the peninsula, especially Crimean Tatars, said human rights activists from Human Rights Watch. In April 2016, the Russian Ministry of Justice added the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People to the list of banned organizations.

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