The verdicts against the defendants, the real motives for such persecutions, and the prospects for the release of political prisoners were discussed in the “Topic of the Day” with Edem Semedlyaev, a lawyer, and Guyana Yuksel, a member of the Crimean Tatar People’s Mejlis.

Edem Semedlyaev noted that neither the illegally convicted nor their defenders agree with the verdict. In their opinion, those who investigated this case should sit on the dock because once they betrayed the oath.

He also spoke about the peculiarities of the case:

“The most important thing is that they based this case on the testimony of two secret witnesses. We do not know who these people are or whether they are not dependent on the FSB. They also based the case on books and audio recordings of a meeting at a mosque where people simply discussed Islamic topics. That’s what the accusation was based on, and they gave people such huge terms”.

The lawyer added that the defence would appeal the verdict, in particular in international courts. The defence must file an appeal within ten days. Its consideration may take from six months to a year.

Gayana Yuksel, a member of the Crimean Tatar People’s Majlis, also emphasized the illegality of the sentences. She added that in all the years since the return of the Crimean Tatars from the places of deportation to the historical homeland in Crimea, no terrorist case had been registered.

And the pressure from the occupation authorities goes not only on the defendants in the cases:

“Not only sentences are passed for the detainees, but for 8 years of occupation, almost 250 people are in captivity, 150 of them are representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, pressure is also going on to ordinary citizens. Over the past two months, there have been three mass raids on people who come to court. Pressure is coming on them, and now this situation has received the symbolic and annoying name of the “Crimean Tatar conveyor”.

It is really a conveyor of pressure, repression, political arbitrariness against representatives of the indigenous people".

In occupied Crimea, security forces detained 30 activists and two civilian journalists who had gathered near the “Crimean Garrison Military Court” to hear the verdict against members of the third Bakhchisaray group, the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, Crimean Solidarity reports.

People were wearing masks and keeping social distance. While trying to enter the “court” building, the occupation police cordoned off the institution and prevented it. Despite the openness of the process, no one except lawyers could enter the courtyard of the “court”.

After that, the activists lined up across the road, 100 meters in front of the “court” building, wearing white capes with photos of the defendants and the words: “16 years - for what?”, “20 years - for what?”. A few minutes later, a bus was parked in front of the courthouse, loading Crimean Tatars with placards in support of political prisoners. Lawyer Rustem Kyamilev told Suspilne Crimea about it. According to him, illegally detained Crimeans face 40 hours of compulsory labour or a fine of 10 to 20 thousand rubles - about 3.5 to 7.5 thousand hryvnias.

According to the member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, this is done to intimidate people, to make sure that no one comes, no one is not interested so that there is no resistance movement, including information:

“To force everyone to be silent and agree with this policy on the territory of the peninsula, such things are being done. Fines of up to 30 thousand rubles (about 11 thousand UAH - ed.) on the territory of Crimea are quite a large amount. On the territory of Crimea, wages can be much less than 30 thousand rubles. They intimidate people. They are trying to break this movement and break people”.

Regarding Ukraine’s reaction to illegal sentences, Guyana Yuksel noted:

“The situation here is very difficult because we will act when people are free, when all this horror is over, and the occupation is over. I am currently reviewing the statements of human rights organizations.They appeal to representatives of international organizations, partner countries, and the Ukrainian government and authorities. The idea of ​​transferring the Crimean Platform, which is directly focused on the problems of Crimea, to the UN is currently being discussed. That the issues of Crimea could be considered at the UN level, where almost all countries of the world are represented.

One of the ways they talk about, which is possible -  an exchange. But we see that the Russian Federation in no way wants to talk about the exchange of people whom they consider to be terrorists. Representatives of the Crimean Tatar people make up the largest part of them. In any case, this work will continue, the information will be collected, systematized and in the future, it will be used to protect human rights to stop this arbitrariness”.