By KYIV. May 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has protested against the unlawful decision of the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don dated May 12 to sentence five citizens of Ukraine to 12 to 14 years in prison.
As stated in the ministry’s comments, the convicts, Tofig Abdulgaziev, Vladlen Abdulkadyrov, Izzet Abdulaev, Mejit Abdurakhm, were defendants in the case of the so-called "Hizb at-Tahrir second Simferopol group." All five are Crimean Tatars and members of the human rights association "Crimean Solidarity."
"They were detained in March 2019 by the security forces of Russia on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea after mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars, and subsequently illegally transferred to the territory of Russia and groundlessly accused by the Russian side, among other things, of participating in the activities of the ‘Hizb at-Tahrir terrorist organization," the Foreign Ministry said.
It is noted that during the years of the Russian occupation of Crimea, some 90 people have already been arrested on charges of involvement in Hizb at-Tahrir, most of whom are Crimean Tatars.
"These sentences are yet another confirmation of Russia’s aggressive policy aimed at destroying the Crimean Tatars and their identity," the ministry said.
Russia must cancel the court decision and release all illegally detained citizens of Ukraine, stop any political persecution and repression against representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
"We call on the international community to condemn the use by Russia of the practice of prosecuting Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories, to increase political, diplomatic and sanctions pressure on it and to demand an end to violations of international humanitarian law in all Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine," the ministry said.
