Crimean prosecutor's office opens first case on crimes against humanity

The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has launched the first criminal proceedings on crimes against humanity on the occupied peninsula following a statement by human rights activists.

This was reported by the ZMINA Human Rights Center.

This is a case concerning the systemic policy of persecution of civilians in Crimea after its occupation by Russia.

According to the prosecutor's office, this is one of the first such cases, as previously Ukrainian legislation did not contain a separate article on crimes against humanity. It appeared only in 2024, which made it possible to qualify the relevant actions under national law.

The new proceedings should cover a wide range of violations that have been recorded since 2014: from the persecution of civilians to deportations, the militarization of children, and forced conscription.

The prosecutor's office emphasizes that these are not individual episodes, but a deliberate policy of the occupying power on the peninsula.

Ukraine has previously documented crimes committed in the occupied Crimea and submitted relevant materials to the International Criminal Court. According to the prosecutor's office, at least 13 information reports were sent to The Hague regarding various violations, including the deportation of civilians, persecution of Crimean Tatars, and militarization of children.

In total, Ukrainian law enforcement officers have already submitted to the courts more than a thousand criminal proceedings on war crimes related to the occupation of Crimea.

In the first quarter of 2026, human rights activists recorded 7 searches in the temporarily occupied Crimea, including 2 searches of Crimean Tatars. In general, human rights activists document large-scale human rights violations in the occupied Crimea. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC), in 2025, they recorded hundreds of detentions, searches and cases of unfair court decisions, which indicate a systemic violation of basic freedoms for Crimeans, especially the Crimean Tatar people.

Олеся Ланцман