Not satisfied with imprisoning Crimean Tatars on absurd charges regarding a pre-annexation demonstration over which Russia has no jurisdiction, the occupying state is increasingly applying methods of intimidation and repression against prisoners’ families. On Nov. 29, Aliye Degermendzhy, whose son Mustafa has been held in detention for 18 months without any real charges, was stopped by Russian border guards and interrogated for several hours, before finally being allowed back into occupied Crimea. Since Russia has banned or even deported Crimean Tatars from their homeland, any such incident is of concern.
There are strong grounds for seeing both the prosecution of Mustafa Degermendzhy and his ongoing detention as acts of revenge – against Crimean Tatars generally, and against him Degermendzhy and Asanov for refusing to give false testimony against Akhtem Chiygoz, Deputy Head of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis [representative assembly].
