THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
Lutfiye Zudiyeva is a journalist and human rights activist for Crimean Solidarity and the Ukrainian publication Graty. She covers trials and human rights violations in occupied Crimea. Because of her activities, she has repeatedly been subjected to pressure from russian security forces. In February 2024, her house was searched. Lutfiye was detained, and two administrative protocols were drawn up for “abuse of freedom of mass information.” During the occupation, four administrative cases were launched against her. Despite the pressure, she continues to work on important topics in order to be the voice of those who have been deprived of their freedom.
On the situation with freedom of speech in Crimea
Media organizations recorded the first mass wave of persecution of journalists back in 2015, after the annexation of Crimea by the russian federation. A total of 44 cases of pressure on independent journalists were registered, including obstruction of their professional activities by russian special services, regular searches, interrogations, and the opening of criminal cases.
In the following years, this trend did not decrease but intensified. After the events of 2022, a number of Ukrainian newsrooms and human rights organizations that had been documenting human rights violations in Crimea for many years were declared undesirable in the territory of russia. This increased the risks for Crimean lawyers, journalists, activists, and human rights defenders who collaborated with these organizations.
Since the beginning of 2024, human rights defenders have recorded about 30 cases of pressure on journalists. One of the latest examples is the pressure on the Crimean Tatar newspaper Qırım, against which six administrative protocols were drawn up with significant fines. In addition, searches were conducted in the homes of the founder of the publication, Seyran Ibragimov, and editor-in-chief, Bekir Mamutov, as well as in the newspaper’s newsroom itself. The total amount of all fines is approaching one million rubles, which creates a serious financial burden for the newspaper, which exists at the expense of subscriptions and regular readers. This can be seen as systemic pressure on the independent Crimean Tatar publication. Also, over the past year, more than a thousand administrative cases were opened in Crimea for the so-called “discrediting the russian army,” which concerns individuals who speak out against the special military operation (so-called SVO).
On the persecution of independent journalists
The security forces regularly use illegal detentions and large fines against activists and public journalists. Currently, a total of 18 journalists have been arrested in Crimea, of whom 17 have already been transferred and are being held in russian prisons and colonies; 15 of them have received long prison terms. Independent journalism continues, although methods are changing.
International organizations and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) are constantly monitoring the situation and calling for international pressure on russia to release Ukrainian journalists. This gives strength to those who continue to work in Crimea. Citizen journalism has gone through the process of informal institutionalization, and many journalists now cooperate with professional newsrooms.
On what gives strength and inspiration to continue working
People who are imprisoned are often isolated from reality, and the longer they stay there, the more difficult it is to convey their personal stories. Therefore, those who remain free feel a responsibility to be their voice. Silence in such a situation can be seen as a failure to fulfill this duty. Trying to help your colleagues and people in Crimea is an important part of this work, as they need information support and the opportunity to share their stories.
Recently, we were at the family of journalist Osman Arifmemetov, planning to meet to communicate and find out the news. Instead, we spent much time there until late in the evening because such meetings give hope that not only their relatives but also other people are fighting for the freedom of their loved ones. This strengthens faith in the possibility of release.
About difficult and important journalistic topics
I am currently writing news and analytical texts about the trials of political prisoners in Crimea the persecution of activists, lawyers, and representatives of independent religious organizations. My colleagues and I also always describe cases of torture or illegal methods of investigation, if any were used. This is difficult work but it allows us to explain the mechanisms of the emergence of many criminal cases in Crimea.
One of the last materials in 2024 was the text about the editor-in-chief of the Crimean Tatar children’s magazine Armanchyk, Ediye Muslimova, who was detained by FSB officers near her home and held for a day and a half incommunicado and without access to a lawyer. She was released only after the intervention of relatives and international human rights organizations.
I have recently been paying attention to the topic of the forced deportation of political prisoners from Crimea. This topic is related to the deportation of Crimean Tatars to Central Asia in 1944. For example, human rights activist Riza Azetov was transported to Yakutia, almost 9,000 kilometers from Crimea. Journalist Remzi Bekirov is also in a colony in Khakassia, which is more than 5,000 kilometers from Crimea. We follow the stories of these people and others who have been convicted on charges of terrorist activities; in total, there are already 117 such people.
When covering specific criminal cases, I try to constantly monitor the development of events – from detention to sentencing and subsequent events after the sentence. This allows me to stay in touch with the families of those involved in the cases and understand the progress of the russian investigation.
At one of the trainings, I was advised to always be interested in the fate of people about whom I wrote at least one text.
Over the past two years, learning how to work with podcasts has become important. Together with colleagues from the newsroom of Graty, we started a project with audio stories about repressions in Crimea.
I recorded an interview with the father of citizen journalist Iryna Danilovich, Bronislav Oleksandrovych, who agreed to this interview out of trust. Unfortunately, he did not live to see his daughter released, but his interview left an important testimony about the events.
On house searches and pressure from law enforcement officers
In February 2024, my house was searched – it began at about 6 a.m. About 20 people arrived; some of them jumped over the fence, and the rest had already opened the door. Of course, these people entered our yard illegally. None of them introduced themselves but I recognized two. Almost everyone was wearing masks. Almost everyone, except for the witnesses (and these were two girls whom they brought with them), was armed. They read me the order to inspect the residential premises within the framework of suspicion in a criminal case, but they did not leave me a copy of the order to inspect and a copy of the seizure act. They purposefully searched for media and documents and asked where my international passport was. As a result, they confiscated my home surveillance camera recorder, laptop, my and my children’s phones, and memory cards. The lawyers, whom I had managed to inform about the search, were not allowed into the house.
I will also add that the police officers arrived in five cars, some of them without license plates. After that, they took me to Simferopol – it’s about a two-hour drive from my house in Dzhankoi. And there they drew up a delivery report and drew up two administrative reports. While compiling the materials, they asked three questions – whether I was a journalist for some newsroom, whether I was the administrator of a Facebook page with the name Lutfiye Zudiyeva, and whether I used the Facebook page in my professional journalistic activities. It became clear that both the search and everything that was happening were related to my texts, my journalistic work, and the interviews that I give to various media.
On the attitude of Crimean residents to the work of independent journalists
People have different attitudes towards the work of independent journalists, and this is often connected with their political and civic views. For example, colleagues have been systematically writing about Crimea for many years, to whom people are not afraid to entrust their stories and materials of administrative or criminal cases. And such trust is earned over the years – thanks to balanced texts and work with an understanding of standards.
Many relatives of political prisoners themselves report news about their loved ones, and they want publicity because they are convinced that this will help to free them, and this publicity works. People themselves call and report searches and detentions because this has repeatedly protected others from illegal methods of investigation and imprisonment.
But objectively, there is another audience in Crimea – there are people who are scared and choose observation and silence for themselves. And there are sympathizers of russian propaganda; they do not like contact with independent journalists. But I am sure that, in any case, it is difficult to dispute the facts. Therefore, if there is truth and objectivity in our texts, it will be easier for all of us to talk to each other.
Created within the framework of the project called “Raising awareness of target groups in Ukraine and abroad about russian war crimes against journalists in 2024 and strengthening public pressure for the release of imprisoned journalists,” which is implemented by the NUJU with the support of the Swedish non-profit human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders.
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