25/03/2022 11:42

Commissioner: fine imposed on Kurultay CEC chairman aimed at suppressing freedom of speech and intimidating Ukrainian citizens in temporarily occupied Crimea

The Russian-controlled Krasnogardy District Court fined Zair Smedlyaev, the head of the CEC of the Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people, detained after yesterday's search in Crimea for 40,000 russian rubles on charges of allegedly "discrediting the Russian army" during Russia's war against Ukraine.

 The reason was a post on the social network Facebook on March 9, 2022: "How many more civilians, women and newborns must die for the world to begin to distinguish genocide from what ** knows what operations?"

 Relatives and public activists who came to support Zaire were not allowed to attend the court hearing.

 The fine to the head of the CEC Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people Zair Smedlyaev is aimed at suppressing freedom of speech and intimidating the citizens of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

 The aggressor country systematically violates Article 10 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, according to which everyone has the right to freedom of expression.

 I call on the international community to continue its sanctions policy against Russia in order to force it to end the repression of our fellow citizens and to liberate all territories of Ukraine immediately.