An armed search on 19 July and attempted interrogation of the 21-year-old daughter of a recognized Crimean Tatar political prisoner left the family, and especially Gulsum Alieva’s 9-year-old brother Seidali deeply traumatized. That seems to have been the sole aim of the operation since Gulsum was not presented with any charges, and the sole pretext given was a text she had merely reposted on Facebook. Gulsum has been active in the Crimean Solidarity civic initiative, which supports political prisoners and other victims of repression, since her father Muslim Aliev’s arrest in February 2016.
Gulsum Alieva is the latest of a number of Crimean civic activists and lawyers who are facing so-called ‘pre-criminal investigation checks’. These can drag on for a year or more, and may, or may not, end in an actual prosecution. Journalist Taras Ibragimov has spoken with two prominent lawyers, representing political prisoners, both of whom have been informed of at least one such ‘check’.
