President of the Ukrainian World Congress: Human rights groups should respond to persecution in the Crimea
On the 4th of February, the President of the Ukrainian World Congress, Eugene Czolij, stated that the persecution of human right activists by Russia causes serious concerns. And therefore, international human rights organizations should respond to them, Ukrinform reported.
“The Ukrainian World Congress condemns these illegal actions by Russian authorities and urges international human rights organizations to protect the rights of legal professionals who are providing the assistance to which everyone has the right,” Czolij stated. The UWC recalled the cases of two Crimean human right activists, Edem Semedlyaev and Emil Kurbedinov.
On the 26th of January, Russian security officers searched the offices of lawyers and the apartment of Emil Kurbedinov. Equipment was seized during searches. As previously reported, the seizure of the lawyers’ equipment has been extended for one month. A lawyer himself, Emil Kurbedinov was detained on the 26th of January in Bakhchysarai. Kurbedinov was on his way to see the Crimean Tatar activist, Seyran Saliev, in order to be present during the search and provide Saliev with legal assistance.
On the same day, the Zaliznichny District Court of Simferopol found the lawyer guilty of violating Article 20.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (Propaganda and public demonstration of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols) and arrested him and detained him for 10 days. In 2013, Kurbedinov reposted a publication of the Hizb ut-Tahrir rally in Simferopol. The Court considered it as public dissemination of extremist materials.
Emil Kurbedinov is one of the leading Crimean lawyers specializing in political cases. Kurbedinov himself and his colleagues consider this arrest as a flagrant obstruction of his professional activity.