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The Observatory has been informed about the renewed acts of administrative harassment against Mr Abdureshit Dzhepparov,
an indigenous and minority Crimean Tatar rights defender and
coordinator of the Crimean Contact Group on Human Rights, a
non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights violations,
provides legal support, and investigates enforced disappearances in
occupied Crimea.
On May 23, 2023, Abdureshit
Dzhepparov was informed about two administrative cases opened against
him under Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 and Part 9 of Article 13.15 of the
Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (“discrediting
the Russian Federation's armed forces” and “abusing the freedom of the
media”, respectively).
These cases were initiated by the
Main Department for Combating Extremism of the Russian Ministry of
Internal Affairs on April 25, 2023. On that day, his family house was raided
and he was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 12 days of administrative detention
for allegedly “disobeying to the lawful order of a police officer”
during the search (Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences
of the Russian Federation). He was released on May 7, 2023. Yet, neither
at the time of his arrest nor during his appearance in court was Mr
Dzhepparov informed about any additional administrative protocols opened
against him.
Under the two new administrative
cases, Mr Dzhepparov is accused of administering the Facebook account of
the human rights initiative Qirim Gayesi (“Crimean Idea”),
where he allegedly denounced human rights violations in Crimea,
expressed his non-support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and
provided information about the deportation of Ukrainian civilians to
Russian-controlled territories. Mr Dzhepparov has denied any involvement
in these publications. A post on Qirim Gayesi Facebook page
dated May 23, 2023 has likewise denied Mr Dzhepparov’s involvement in
both the administration of the page and the publication of materials.
Abdureshit Dzhepparov will appear
before the Kyiv District Court of the Russian-occupied city of
Simferopol on June 13 and July 14, 2023. If found guilty, he faces a
fine of up to 150,000 Russian Roubles (approximately 1,700 Euros), in
addition to the confiscation of his electronic devices.
The Observatory recalls that Mr
Dzhepparov has been routinely subjected to administrative harassment as a
means to intimidate him and hinder his human rights work. On March 16, 2022,
following a search of his apartment conducted by several Federal
Security Service of the Russian Federation officers, he was arbitrarily
arrested along with two of his nephews. On the same day, Mr Dzhepparov
was sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention under Article 20.3
of the Code of Administrative Offences (“propaganda and public display
of Nazi paraphernalia and symbols”). The charges were related to Mr
Dzhepparov’s publication of a five-minute video on his social media
channels stating that the Soviet military march known as “Aviators
march” was copied from the Nazi Germany military march. He served his
sentence in Evpatoria Temporary Detention Centre and was released on
March 31, 2022.
The Observatory further notes that
since the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014,
Crimean Tatars and those who defend their rights have been particularly
targeted by the Russian authorities, including through enforced
disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary and administrative
detentions, judicial harassment and arbitrary searches, such as the
arbitrary detentions of Edem Semedlyaev and Nariman Dzhelyal.
In this framework, since 2014, Abdureshit Dzhepparov and his family
have faced multiple acts of harassment, threats, and attacks from the
Russian authorities, including the abduction of his son Islyam
Dzhepparov and nephew Dzhevdet Islyamov on September 27, 2014, whose
fate and whereabouts remain unknown since then. The Russian occupying
authorities in Crimea have not launched any investigation into their
disappearance.
The Observatory expresses its utmost
concern about these two new administrative cases against Abdureshit
Dzhepparov and urges the Russian authorities in Crimea to dismiss all
charges against him, and to put an immediate end to all acts of
harassment against him and all human rights defenders in
Russian-occupied Crimea.
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