Former Kremlin prisoner Nariman Dzhelal appointed ambassador to Turkey

Crimean Tatar politician and former Kremlin prisoner Nariman Dzhelal has been appointed Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey. Dzhelal is known for his human rights activism and struggle for the de-occupation of Crimea.

The relevant decree was signed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine has officially appointed Nariman Dzhelal as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Turkey. The appointment took place against the backdrop of the Ukrainian delegation's visit to Turkey and possible negotiations to end the war unleashed by Russia. The Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov, called the decision a good one and thanked the president for this choice.

The idea to delegate Nariman Dzhelal to Turkey as an ambassador was voiced by the president in December 2024. Dzhelal is a well-known Crimean Tatar politician, human rights activist and first deputy chairman of the Mejlis. After the occupation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, he actively fought for the rights of Crimean Tatars, organized support for IDPs, and advocated for the restoration of Ukraine's control over the peninsula.

In 2021, Dzhelal was arrested by Russian security forces in a trumped-up case of a gas pipeline bombing in Crimea. He was held in a pre-trial detention center in harsh conditions, with constant video surveillance and restricted contacts. He became a defendant in the case after the testimony of an anonymous witness, although he was not even mentioned in the case file at first. After nearly three years in Russian custody, Dzhelal was released on June 28, 2024, as part of a prisoner exchange.

Upon his return, he declared his readiness to join the process of releasing other Ukrainian prisoners of the Kremlin.

On the second day of the Crimean Week in Brussels, the First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelial addressed the members of the European Parliament. In his address, he emphasized that no form of recognition of Crimea as Russian territory is acceptable.

Анна Бальчінос