Chubarov: FSB searched the home of ATR journalist Gulsum Halilova's parents in Crimea

Russia's FSB mass searched the homes of Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea on April 1, including the parents of journalist Gulsum Halilova, who works for the Crimean Tatar television company ATR in Kyiv, Refat Chubarov, chair of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, reported in a Facebook post on April 2.

Chubarov says the FSB broke into the homes of Crimean Tatars living in the village of Ortalan (called Zemlyanichnoye by Russians), Qarasuvbazar/Belogorsk district.

Gulsum Halilova, photo by ATR

“The siloviki searched four Crimean Tatar households, looking for weapons and other forbidden items, including books from the banned lists. One of the houses the Russian police broke in belongs to the parents of the well-known Crimean Tatar journalist Gulsum Halilova, who works for the television company ATR,” Chubarov wrote.

He added that in addition to TV programs, Gulsum Halilova is very active on social media, where her posts about the Russo–Ukrainian war are read by hundreds of thousands of users every day, especially in Turkiye.

“According to a report from the ground, the siloviki who broke into the Halilov family household ignored the fact that Halil Halilov, 75, had been ill for several days and was bedridden. Armed FSB officers in masks searched all the rooms in the house and seized all electronic devices, including phones. Having broken into the house, the siloviki immediately blocked off all access to the courtyard so that the alarmed neighbors could not visit the Halilovs and witness the lawlessness being committed by the Russian barbarians,” wrote the chair of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.

He added that the distress from “talking” to armed bandits in masks exacerbated Halil Halilov's illness to a point when the police were forced to call an ambulance, which took the man to the hospital.

On July 12, 2019, the Russian-controlled Kyiv District Court of Crimea arrested ATR TV journalist Gulsum Halilova in absentia, with arrest terms starting the moment she is detained on Russian territory or in the event of Halilova's extradition to the Russian Federation. On August 1, the "Supreme Court" of Crimea upheld the decision of the first instance court.

The Russian FSB's Crimean department opened a criminal case against Gulsum Halilova, journalist with the Crimean Tatar channel ATR, under Article 208 of the Criminal Code of Russia ("Participation in an armed formation on the territory of a foreign state").

The Prosecutor's Office of the ARC has opened proceedings in the case against Gulsum Halilova, TV host working for the Crimean Tatar channel ATR, and her arrest in absentia.