Emil Kurbedinov, a 35-year-old Crimean Tatar lawyer, who has been fighting for the rights of several prominent Crimean Tatar and pro-Ukrainian activists and journalists in Russian-held Crimea, has won the 2017 Front Line Defenders prize, an annual award for human rights defenders who are at risk.
“When we defend political prisoners and persecuted activists, we’re going against a system in which there’s no hope of a fair trial. Winning an acquittal for my clients is almost impossible – but what I can do is show them that, despite the risks, I will not abandon them,” Kurbedinov said at the ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, on May 26.
An international jury picked the Crimean Tatar lawyer from among 142 nominees from 56 countries of the world. Kurbedinov , like his clients, was has also been harassed and illegally arrested. He was sentenced to 10 days in prison on extremism charges by the Russian Federal Security Service last winter.
“This nomination is to the merit of all Crimean Tatars,” Kurbedinov wrote on Facebook several days before the ceremony. “Let’s hope this won’t be just me getting a statuette. My trip will be useful for my people, as the people of Ireland will learn about Crimean Tatar human rights lawyers and get the truth about the real situation in Crimea.”
Crimean Tatar lawyer Emil Kurbedinov receives the Front Line Defenders prize during a ceremony in Dublin on May 26.
The Kyiv Post included Kurbedinov in the latest issue of its Legal Quarterly special supplement, dedicated to interesting fearless lawyers, which was published on March 31. Kurbedinov’s story can be read here.
