TheKirim newspaper was fined 790 thousand rubles for publishing a report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and an author's column on mobilization.
The excerpt of the UN Secretary-General's report published by the publication concerned the humanitarian situation in Crimea. It referred to unjustified detentions and beatings of people. Also, the article of the newspaper "Kirim" provided information about the torture of a Crimean Tatar in Kherson and about the harsh conditions of the pre-trial detention center No. 2 in Simferopol. In this article, the operative saw"the dissemination of false information under the guise of reliable information, which created a threat of harm to the life and health of citizens, property, the threat of massive violation of public order and public safety."
"Here, in the practice of these court cases, we have seen how the law can be like a whip. Of course, we will come out... We are expected in about 2,500 families," the publication quotes editor-in-chief Bekir Mamutov as saying.
"Kyrym" is the first newspaper that Crimean Tatars began publishing after returning to their homeland. It has existed since 1989 and is published in the Crimean Tatar language.
In May 2024, the editorial office and the homes of the editor-in-chief Bekir Mamutov and the founder Seiran Ibragimov were searched. Two administrative reports were drawn up against both of them for "discrediting the Russian Armed Forces" and "abuse of freedom of the media", and a fine was imposed.
According to lawyer Khatidze Mamutova, both the official UN website, from which the editorial board took the report, and Guterres himself, according to the Simferopol World Court, are unofficial sources of information.
Despite the pressure, the newspaper continues to inform Crimean Tatars in their native language. The journalists plan to appeal the court decisions.
Earlier, the occupation court of Crimea fined lawyer Emil Kurbedinov for publishing in a telegram. Before that, the occupiers on the peninsula illegally tried a resident of Nova Kakhovka, Victoria Bakalets, who called on locals not to go to the illegal Russian referendum in September 2022 and accused Russians of numerous war crimes committed in Ukraine.
