Occupiers release human rights activist Abdureşit Cepparov after 12 days of unlawful arrest

Photo by Crimean Solidarity

The Russian occupiers released the Crimean human rights activist Abdureşit Cepparov after 12 days of unlawful arrest, reports the public association "Crimean Solidarity".

"I woke up on the search day to their command, 'Get up!' There was a pistol 40–45 centimeters away from me, and from the foot of the bed there was a machine gun aimed at me. All this happened in our bedroom at about 6:45 am. Then they searched us, as they do, the whole house was turned upside down. Then there were all kinds of 'procedures'. First, the FSB, then the CCE, then the Bilohirsk court, and then here I am, at Pavlenka Street, 1, in a 'special receiver,'" said the human rights activist just after being released.

As noted by the "Crimean Solidarity", while the correspondents were taking their comments, riot police and Russian Guard officers approached them. They demanded to stop the filming, and took the passport details of the lawyers Emil Kurbedinov, Edem Semedlyaev and Rustem Kyamilyov.

As IMI reported, on April 26, 2023, the occupiers' Bilohirsky District Court in Crimea unlawfully arrested the previously detained Crimean Tatar human rights activist Abdureşit Cepparov for 12 days for "disobeying the police."

According to a "Krym.Realii" report for Radio Liberty, Russian security forces have already searched the activist's house on March 16, 2023. At that time, no lawyer was allowed to see Cepparov. After the search, the Russian security forces took the man to the local police department. Later, the Russian-controlled Biloghirsk District Court arrested him for 15 days, accusing him of "promoting Nazi paraphernalia or symbols" on social media. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the representative office of the President of Ukraine in Crimea called for Abdureşit Cepparov's release. On March 31, he was released after 15 days of administrative arrest.