"Saboteurs", "spies", "extremists"? Chronology of repression in occupied Crimea

Detention of human rights defender Abdureshit Dzeparov, searches in the houses of Crimean Tatar activists Bari Barijev and Edem Ismailov, administrator Lenija Umerova due to the refusal of a Russian passport. All these events took place in the occupied Crimea in a week. What is known about the fate of these people? What could be the reason for the persecution on the peninsula? How does the situation in Crimea differ from the situation before the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Serhiy Mokrushin, the host of Radio Krym.Realiya, talked about it with Crimean lawyer Edem Semedlyayev, the head of the Crimean human rights group Olga Skrypnik and the representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea Tamila Tasheva.

Three searches and one arrest in a week

On the morning of April 27, Russian security forces searched the homes of Crimean Tatar activists Bari Bariyev and Edem Ismailov in Sudak. According to the reports of the human rights movement "Crimean Solidarity", telephones and computer equipment were confiscated during the search. The activists were taken to the headquarters of the Russian FSB in occupied Simferopol and released after questioning. Two days earlier, the Bilogirsky District Court in Russian-controlled Crimea arrested Crimean Tatar human rights defender Abdureshit Dzheparov for "disobedience to the police," according to the Crimean Solidarity human rights movement. The decision was made on April 25, the same day when Dzeparov was taken into custody by the Russian police after a search.

Whose side are you on?

The reason for the arrest was a report by a Russian police officer that Dzeparov allegedly refused to hand over the computer to the security forces during the search, "took it from the policeman's hands" and said that "he will not give the computer over", says lawyer Edem Semedlyayev. This protocol was signed by witnesses who were searched.
"Of course, so you understand, it's about people on the side of the police. They come to the search together with the policemen and that's why they sign everything the policemen give them", says Edem Semedljaev.
According to him, it is impossible to imagine that Abdureshit Dzeparov behaved like this during the search.

"Whoever knows Abdurešit Džeparov will, of course, immediately consider these actions absurd. He is an experienced defender of human rights and will not behave like that during the search, he is ready, this is not the first search in his home. "Abdurešit-aga himself says that all this is far-fetched," notes the lawyer.

Why are detainees "hiding" from defenders

We learned about the arrest of the human rights defender after several hours of searching for him. After the arrest, Dzeparov's relatives and his lawyer could not find out where the security forces took him.
"Wherever we went that day... While he was in the FSB, I came to the FSB, entered the reception room, and the employees assured me that he was not there. He was actually there. And after I went to look for him in other departments, in the Center for Combating Extremism, at that moment he was transferred from the FSB to the CPE. And such "cat and mouse" games, when neither relatives nor lawyers know where a person is for 12 hours," Semedljaev said about the search for Abdurešita Džeparov.
Neither during the search, nor during the trial at which Džeparov was sentenced to arrest, did he have the opportunity to get in touch with his relatives or lawyers, says Edem Semedljaev.

"This is an already elaborate scheme by FSB officers, the Central Security Service and the police, so that neither the relatives nor the defenders could find the person... This is done in order to make all these procedures that we consider illegal, that is, drawing up protocols, participation in the hearing took place without a lawyer, without support. So that the person remains face to face with this entire system", notes the defender.
During the search, Džeparov's phones were confiscated - his, his wife's and daughter's, three computers, a video recorder, the order with which he was awarded in Ukraine, and a notebook.
"Now I understand, if the officers can open this equipment, then they will decide if they will find anything there. And yes, there is currently no other information", says Edem Semedljaev.
Abdurešit Džeparov is a well-known defender of human rights in Crimea and abroad. In 2014, unknown persons in uniform kidnapped his son Islam Džeparov and nephew Dževdet Isljamov. The Russian government of occupied Crimea has vowed to counter the wave of enforced disappearances. A contact group was created in which Dzeparov was a member, but the abductions in Crimea did not stop.

The next case is the story of Lenia Umerova, who tried to come to Crimea in December 2022 to visit her sick father. She was detained at the Russian-Georgian border and punished for "violating the rules of the regime zone". She was then forcibly taken to Vladikavkaz, where she was detained for 15 days for alleged "disobedience to the police". Every time the 15 days of arrest expire, the police find a reason to make a new record and, accordingly, a new arrest. The last such "restoration" of arrests was on April 27. After the occupation of Crimea, Umerova did not take a Russian passport, and the Ukrainian document was, quote, "lost" by the Russian security forces.

Administrative arrest as an excuse

Lenija is being held in custody under the guise of administrative procedures. Olga Skripnik, head of the Crimean Human Rights Group, believes that these are gross violations that are clearly politically motivated persecution.
"There is no real reason for them to be detained, even according to Russian legislation. She did not violate any norms of Russian legislation. Therefore, all these administrative reasons used against her are completely fabricated," says Olga Skripnik.
Skripnik suggests that with the help of these administrative arrests, the girl is kept in captivity in order to buy time and prepare criminal prosecution. Human rights activists learned that Lenia's relatives were informed that FSB officers had confiscated her Ukrainian passport and all the documents she had.
"The documents were confiscated by the FSB officers, although the police officers are compiling reports on her, this indicates that her case is under the supervision of the FSB. And the FSB deals only with criminal cases. And in cases involving citizens of Ukraine, and Lenia is a citizen of Ukraine, these cases are exclusively political in nature, for example, espionage, sabotage, discrediting the Russian army and other texts that are politically motivated," notes the human rights activist.

The number of "spies" increased

After the invasion of Ukraine, a new article of the Law appeared in the Russian criminal legislation - on "discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation". According to this article, there may be administrative and criminal penalties. This article was often used in the occupied Crimea, notes the human rights activist. Articles about espionage are most often incriminated.
"The accusation can be anything. Corresponded with someone on Telegram or posted on a social network. This is enough to accuse a person of being a spy," says Olga Skripnik.

Many cases are classified as "secret" and therefore human rights defenders know nothing about them, notes Skripnik. In addition, the FSB has lists of people who, according to Russian security forces, support Ukraine and organizes door-to-door visits to check on these people.
“These lists have been elaborated. In my opinion, criminal proceedings are opened against those people who did not have time to leave, because they are afraid that there is an illegal movement in Crimea and they are trying to destroy it. Therefore, these cases continue and do not stop," said the human rights activist.

Crimea is not just a military base

According to Skripnik, Crimea is not only a military base used by Russia for attacks on Ukraine, but also a prison for kidnapped people from the newly occupied territories and Ukrainian prisoners of war. If Ukrainian soldiers are kept mostly in Sevastopol, then civilians are kept in Simferopol Pre-trial Prison-2, she says. According to Skripnik, there are more than a hundred Ukrainian citizens.
"Last year, many of them were imprisoned without criminal charges. No one had any information, not even the lawyer, that this person was there. At the end of last year, criminal proceedings were initiated against many of these people based on the popular article of the FSB - "an act of international terrorism" or "espionage" or "participation in an illegal armed formation". For example, the Crimean Tatar battalion named after Noman Chelebidjikan, which Russia considers such a formation," said Olga Skripnik.
"Crimea is a base for large-scale violations not only of human rights, but also of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the deportation of children and other crimes committed by Russia throughout the territory of Ukraine," Skripnik concluded.

For which you may receive a fine or penalty

The representative office of the President of Ukraine in the Republic of Crimea monitors Russian court records and notes that Russian security forces may prosecute Ukrainian citizens for various reasons. For example, for Ukrainian songs at weddings, for the Ukrainian flag hanging on a building or for supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"We understand that the Russian Federation, realizing the inevitability of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, the inevitability of the liberation of the territory, is beginning to intensify the repression against our citizens, intensifying the pressure and monitoring of the civilian population. It's no secret that more than 150 outdoor surveillance cameras have been installed on the peninsula. Additional teams checking phones and documents, stopping on the street, all this shows that the occupation authorities are very worried about the fact that Crimea will be liberated, maybe in the near future, and increase the pressure on the local population," said the permanent representative of the Ukrainian president, Tamil Tasheva Krym Realia.

Is it possible to influence Russia?

Tasheva notes that it was difficult to influence Russia before the invasion of Ukraine. After the invasion, that became almost impossible. Although, public disclosure of politically motivated cases can still protect those persecuted by Russia from abuse in prisons, according to Tasheva.
"All this, in any case, must be documented, information about it distributed, recorded for international courts. The representative office constantly deals with this and informs our international partners about what is happening in Crimea", says Tamila Tasheva.

Who is threatened with imprisonment after de-occupation

It is certain that responsibility for all the crimes of Russia and its collaborators in Crimea will come.
"We do not want to extend this responsibility to broad sections of the population that were hostages of the occupation and the war. They needn't worry. And to such persons as Shambazov, Talipov, Aksyonov, Konstantinov, all propagandists, all those who undermined Ukrainian statehood, those who contributed to the occupation regime, those who broke the oath, especially investigators, prosecutors, even those lawyers who cooperated and supported the prosecution in court proceedings, they have something to worry about. They will surely be brought to justice after the de-occupation", said Tasheva.
The Prosecutor's Office of Crimea and Sevastopol initiated criminal proceedings against all those mentioned by Tasheva.
"I personally filed a complaint against Talipov because he organizes the harassment of our citizens, including those who lead activist, pro-Ukrainian work. Talipov and all of them will answer," said the permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea.

Caution above all else

Tasheva advises all pro-Ukrainian residents of the peninsula to be careful.
"Our key advice, even when you support Ukraine and express it publicly, be careful, it's very important. Even when you raise the Ukrainian flag over houses in Crimea, you should do it carefully, understand that you can be watched, that you can be reported to the competent occupation authorities on the territory of the peninsula. But that does not mean that nothing should be done, because it is really very important," says Tamila Tasheva.
According to the representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea, 323 cases have been opened (as of April 18) on charges of so-called "discrediting of the Russian Federation", that is, according to Article 20.3.3 of the Law on Administrative Offenses of Russia. In particular, the occupation courts issued 276 illegal decisions that imposed fines ranging from 30,000 to 75,000 rubles. According to Articles 207.3 and 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, two illegal sentences were imposed in occupied Crimea.