Crimean Human Rights Group Appeals to UN Commission on the Cases of Convicted Journalists from Crimea

The russian authorities are holding at least 18 Crimean journalists, who are citizens of Ukraine, in captivity. They were deprived of their liberty in falsified politically motivated criminal cases, the Crimean Human Rights Group reports.

The organization emphasized that human rights activists are documenting criminal cases against Crimean journalists. Late last month, the Crimean Human Rights Group referred these cases to the UN Independent International Commission.

These are the following journalists: Oleksii Bessarabov, Dmytro Shtyblikov, Vladislav Yesypenko, Seyran Saliyev, Marlen (Suleiman) Asanov, Timur Ibragimov, Server Mustafayev, Osman Arifmemetov, Remzi Bekirov, Ruslan Suleimanov, Rustem Sheikhaliyev, Amet Suleimanov, Asan Akhtemov, Iryna Danylovych, Vilen Temeryanov, Ernest Ametov, Rustem Osmanov, and Aziz Azizov.

According to the Institute of Mass Information, since 2014, a total of 634 crimes against the media have been recorded in Ukraine, including physical aggression, murders, and shelling of journalists. At least 112 foreign and Ukrainian journalists have been in russian captivity or taken hostage.

In particular, freelancer of Krym.Realii Vladyslav Yesypenko is in russian captivity. Before his arrest, he covered social and environmental issues and conducted surveys of Crimean residents.

On March 10, 2021, he was detained in Simferopol. The russian authorities accused the journalist of collecting information “in favor of the Ukrainian special services” and of possessing a “homemade explosive device” that was planted on him after his arrest.

As a result, the russian prosecution demanded 11 years in prison for Yesypenko. The court decided to sentence him to five years in a general regime colony and a fine of RUB 110,000. Yesypenko claims that russian security forces tortured him, including with electric shock, in order to obtain testimony against himself.

The 2024 report shows an alarming intensification of attacks on journalists, especially in conflict zones.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called Yesypenko‘s sentence “politically motivated.” The U.S. Department of State also condemned Yesypenko‘s sentence, calling it “yet another example of abuses by the russian occupation authorities in Crimea.”

NUJU Information Service