There are still 20 journalists in Russian prisons for their work in occupied Crimea

There are 20 journalists currently held in Russian captivity who were persecuted in occupied Crimea. Five others have fully served their unlawful sentences, and one person was released as part of a prisoner exchange.

This was reported on October 21 during a press conference held by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center in Kyiv, dedicated to the persecution of independent media and the unlawful imprisonment of citizen journalists.

The center’s chairman, Eskender Bariev, presented an analytical report on the repression against journalists on the peninsula. According to him, the Russian occupation authorities used persecution to suppress independent journalism, and the release of political prisoners required constant international attention and awareness campaigns.

Valentina Samar, editor-in-chief of the Center for Investigative Journalism, said that after the occupation of Crimea in 2014, journalists were barred from entering the peninsula, newsrooms were attacked and robbed, and their equipment was destroyed or confiscated. This became part of a systematic policy to suppress independent media.

Andriy Shchekun, a representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians in Crimea, emphasized that the occupying authorities also suppressed the Ukrainian-language press. In 2014, contracts for newspaper distribution through “Krymsoyuzdruk” and “Krymposhta” were terminated, depriving newsrooms of the ability to operate.

Oleksina Dorohan, a journalist for “Krym.Realii” whom Russia arrested in absentia on fabricated charges, warned that such cases could be used to detain journalists abroad and extradite them to Russia.

Special attention was given to citizen journalist Iryna Danilovych, who was held in a Russian penal colony and suffered from health problems. Before the occupation, she worked as a nurse, and later began reporting on human rights violations and attending trials of Crimean Tatars.

They also mentioned military analysts Dmytro Shtyblikov, Volodymyr Dudka, and Oleksiy Bessarabov, who were illegally held in Russian captivity for nearly ten years.

Participants in the press conference called for increased international pressure on Russia, support for imprisoned journalists and political prisoners, and the continuation of campaigns for their release.

Анна Літман