Political persecution in Crimea: human rights activists document over 90 victims

In 2024, human rights activists collected information about 95 new victims of politically and religiously motivated persecution who were or are being held in detention in annexed Crimea.

According to the Crimean Human Rights Group, this year it has also documented more than 150 court hearings in the context of human rights violations in Crimea and 300 court decisions under the article on "discrediting" the Russian army. In addition, information has been collected on 151 suspects in cases of calls for genocide of Ukrainians and waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, and 445 statements containing such calls have been documented.

"Evidence and information obtained by human rights defenders are used in national and international investigations, as well as for the imposition of personal sanctions," the CHRG explained.

In the annexed Crimea, the homes of Crimean Tatars are systematically searched. Security forces and Russian authorities accuse them of "ties to Ukraine" or "terrorist activities". Human rights activists and Ukrainian authorities call these accusations politically motivated.

As of December 2024, there are 231 Crimean political prisoners in Russian detention centers and colonies. Since 2017, 10,018 violations of fundamental human rights have been recorded in the Russian-annexed Crimea, 6,730 of them against members of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people. Therefore, on the International Human Rights Day, which is celebrated on December 10, the CTRC is launching a social media storm"De-occupation of Crimea - return of human rights". They call on everyone to post on their social media one of the posters offered on their website, which were developed by activists of the international movement for the de-occupation of Crimea and solidarity with the Crimean Tatar people #LIBERATECRIMEA and designed by Ukrainian artist Andriy Yermolenko.

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