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Violations of rights in Crimea – USA publishes report for 2020


Torture of Crimean residents

The United States received a large number of reports that the occupants in Crimea tortured and insulted residents who opposed the occupation. Human rights observers reported that Russian occupants subjected Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians, in particular, to physical violence.

For example, in January, Russian security officials detained a 17-year-old Crimean Tatar, beat and arrested him, and then took him to a police station, where he was tortured with electric shocks, beaten and threatened with sexual violence for several hours.

The report says that the occupiers have demonstrated a pattern of using punitive psychiatric confinement as a means of putting pressure on detainees. In particular, in this way, they exerted pressure on the Crimean Tatars convicted in the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case.”

Arbitrary arrest and detention

According to the report, arbitrary arrests and detentions continue to occur in occupied Crimea, which observers believe are a means of instilling fear and punishing those who oppose the occupation. Russian security forces carry out regular raids in the settlements of the Crimean Tatars, which are accompanied by arrests, interrogations and the initiation of criminal cases.

Refusal to be called up for military service in the ranks of the Russian army is also used as a basis for arbitrary arrests. Since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea, human rights activists have registered 8 criminal cases against Crimeans for evading service in the Russian army.

In addition, detainees are often denied access to a lawyer during interrogation. For example, two Crimean Tatars were interrogated for 8 hours, during which time their lawyers were denied access to them.

Illegal Courts

Increasingly, those accused of politically motivated cases are being transferred to Russia for their trials. At the same time, the occupiers limit the possibility of holding public hearings, and the courts do not publish the verdicts in these cases.

Also, the invaders prevent the defendants from gaining access to a lawyer, and the security forces intimidate witnesses in order to influence their testimony.

Restrictions on freedom of expression

Russian occupiers also restrict freedom of expression on the territory of Crimea. Thus, individuals cannot publicly criticize the Russian occupation without fear of reprisals, since the occupation authorities often regard dissent as “extremism” and persecute people for it.

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