Reshat Ametov: First Victim of Russian Occupation in Crimea, 60 Killed Since

Reshat Ametov became the first victim of the Russian occupation of Crimea.

According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, on March 3, 2014, unidentified men in camouflage uniforms abducted Ametov right in the center of Simferopol, where he was holding a single protest against the occupation of the peninsula. 12 days later, on March 15, his body was found in a field near the village of Zemlianichne, Belogorsk district. The body bore numerous signs of torture: stab wounds in the left eye, numerous bruises. His head was wrapped in duct tape, his hands were handcuffed. He is survived by three children.

"In April 2014, the so-called 'Investigative Committee' of the Russian Federation in Crimea opened a criminal case on his murder, but the investigation was suspended in 2015. The persons involved in the crime have not been identified," the report says.

Subsequently, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that it had received evidence of the involvement of the so-called "Crimean self-defense" in the abduction and murder of Ametov. The same opinion was expressed by Eskender Bariev, a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center. He emphasized that Reshat Ametov became a symbol of the struggle for the unity of Ukraine against Russian aggression in 2014.

The CTRC notes that this is not an isolated case. According to the Center, at least 60 people have been killed during the occupation of Crimea, 28 of whom were representatives of theCrimean Tatar people. These cases can be divided into the following categories:

• Victims of political repression - 4 people (3 of them were Crimean Tatars);
• Victims of discrimination - 13 people (11 are Crimean Tatars);
• Victims of terror - 30 people (8 are Crimean Tatars);
• Victims of police arbitrariness - 13 people (6 are Crimean Tatars).

Over the 11 years of the annexation of Crimea, 385 people have been victims of criminal prosecution for political reasons. As of today, 240 of them are in places of detention.

Олеся Ланцман