The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the shameful sentences of the occupation authorities in Crimea, issued to Ukrainian citizen journalists Osman Arifmemetov, Ruslan Suleymanov and Rustem Sheykhaliyev, as well as to activists Yashar Muedinov and Enver Ametov.

Osman Arifmemetov, Ruslan Suleymanov and Rustem Sheikhaliyev were sentenced to 14 years in prison. Yashar Muedinov and Enver Ametov were sentenced to 13 years in prison.

The total term of imprisonment of Crimean political prisoners is approaching 1300 years.

In March 2019, citizen journalists were illegally detained on trumped-up charges of organizing and participating in the alleged activities of a terrorist organization and preparing for a violent seizure of power. All these years, they were under severe pressure from the judicial system of the Russian Federation, the methods of which are torture and psychological pressure. Their imprisonment became a traditional revenge for the pro-Ukrainian position and opposition to the Russian occupation of Crimea.

These shameful sentences are a show of strength where there is none, and yet another manifestation of the disregard for basic human rights.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on the international community and our partners on the International Crimea Platform to continue exerting political, diplomatic, sanctions and economic pressure on Russia in order to immediately release all Ukrainian citizens illegally imprisoned by the Putin regime.

Ukrainian diplomats will continue to fight for the release of each and every illegally imprisoned citizen of Ukraine, including by drawing maximum attention to the fate of political prisoners through the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine of public advocacy mentoring citizen journalists illegally imprisoned by the Russian Federation.