~ Russia illegally detains 20,000 Kremlin prisoners

According to the data of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets, this is the number of civilians abducted by the Russian Federation. This estimate is based on the number of appeals from relatives of abductees received by the Commissioner. 

The Media Initiative for Human Rights has identified about 100 places where abducted civilians are held. 

The Mission of the President of Ukraine in ARC confirms 182 illegally imprisoned Ukrainian citizens, 60% of whom are Qırımtatarlar.

1. On April 20, the so-called "court" of the temporarily occupied Simferopol delivered a verdict in the case of Abaz Kurtamet — 7 years in prison

The Russians fabricated charges against him for allegedly "financing an illegal armed group" — the Crimean Process initiative. 

The Russians accused Kurtamet of transferring UAH 500 to his friend, who allegedly serves in the volunteer battalion 'Krym'. The Crimean Tatar explained that he had lent the money to his friend.

Before the full-scale invasion, Kurtamet lived in Novooleksiivka, the Kherson region and taught the Crimean Tatar language (qırımtatar tili).

On July 23, 2022, he was on his way to visit his relatives in Crimea but disappeared. Then, in October, it became known that Russian security forces had illegally detained him.

The Russians fabricated charges against him for allegedly "financing an illegal armed group" — the Crimean Process initiative. 

The Russians accused Kurtamet of transferring UAH 500 to his friend, who allegedly serves in the volunteer battalion 'Krym'.

The Crimean Tatar explained that he had lent the money to his friend.

Before the full-scale invasion, Kurtamet lived in Novooleksiivka, the Kherson region and taught the Crimean Tatar language (qırımtatar tili).

On July 23, 2022, he was on his way to visit his relatives in Crimea but disappeared. Then, in October, it became known that Russian security forces had illegally detained him.

The document was provided by the military prosecutor's office of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. So now it will be easier for Spain to demand his release — Spanish diplomat José Lozano to the Levante newspaper. 

After García retired, he moved to Ukraine, inspired by his father's stories of how Soviet Ukraine hosted thousands of refugees from Spain. They were fleeing the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in the late 1930s. 

García lived in Kherson, Ukraine and helped veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Once the temporary occupation began, he protested against the occupation. 

On March 19, the Spaniard disappeared. Witnesses claim that Russians abducted him. At the request of one of the Crimean lawyers, Russian security forces replied that they had no information about García.

However, later another lawyer contacted them again. In response, the occupation prosecutor's office acknowledged Calatayud's detention. 

In addition, Kalatayud's cellmate Yevgeny Yamkovoy told Spanish journalists that the Russians were torturing the abductee. In particular, they set a dog on him.

An illegal search of his home preceded this. Then, the security forces abducted the Crimean Tatar and concealed the place of his detention.

However, on the evening of April 25, lawyer Edem Semedliaiev reported that Dzheparov had been brought to the detention centre of the temporarily occupied Zaliznychnyi district of Simferopol. 

During the search, the Russians stole all digital devices and documents; his wife told Graty in a comment to the media. They also took away the Order of Merit of the III degree, which the Crimean Tatar received in 2011 for his human rights activities.  

The security forces opened an administrative case against Dzheparov for allegedly 'disobeying the police'. On April 26, he was arrested for 12 days.

In March 2022, the Russians had already illegally detained a Crimean Tatar defending the rights of Crimean Tatars since Soviet times. 

After the start of the temporary occupation, Dzhaparov's son and nephew disappeared. Their whereabouts are still unknown.

The Kremlin prisoner needs a heart valve replacement due to his illness. Staying in detention centres and prison without medical care threatens his life.

His wife, Lilia Liumanova, told Crimean Solidarity about the lack of medicines.

As a reminder, in 2020, charges of alleged participation in a 'terrorist organisation' were falsified against Suleimanov.

He was held under house arrest for three years, which is unprecedented for such cases. Given Suleimanov's health and the lack of medical care in the detention centre, his stay there could have led to his death.

Nevertheless, on February 9, 2023, the Russian Court of Appeal issued a "verdict" of 12 years in prison. Staying in the colony threatens Suleimanov's life due to his illness.

On April 5, the verdict came into force. The occupation forces illegally took Suleimanov into custody and took him to a temporary detention centre in Bağçasaray. On April 7, he was transferred to a pre-trial detention centre in Simferopol. His Bicillin-5 medication, which he is supposed to take once every three weeks, was taken away from him.  

In addition, Suleimanov was held in the quarantine department — a basement without ventilation, where ten other prisoners were constantly smoking. Because of this, Suleimanov got shortness of breath. So now he is in a special isolation unit. It has stringent rules for prisoners.

The Russians claim that he took part in the defence of Mariupol — reports from Russian security forces. 

The Russians accuse Andrii Petrenko of allegedly killing a civilian in Mariupol during the battle for the city in March 2022. 

They usually publish videos of prisoners of war under pressure defaming themselves by reading out previously prepared 'accusations'. But, this time, there is no video. 

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets called on the international community to demand that Russia release Petrenko.

This is the fourth time. Umerova has been in illegal detention for more than four months, almost continuously — her brother Aziz comments to Svidomi. 

In December 2022, Umerova left Kyiv for the occupied Crimea as her father's health, who lives on the peninsula, deteriorated. 

She crossed the Russian-Georgian border, after which she was illegally detained.

She was held in the Centre for the Temporary Detention of Foreign Citizens until March 16. After that, she was abducted by unknown persons and taken to Vladikavkaz. There, she was detained by Russian police. The court initially arrested her for 15 days. 

Later, this occurred three more times. The Russian security forces fabricated charges against her each time under articles that provided for administrative arrest.