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As Ukrainians celebrate the release of Nadia Savchenko, the military aviator held in a Russian jail for nearly two years, more than 30 Ukrainians, many of them Crimean Tatars, remain imprisoned by Russia on charges widely considered to be politically motivated.
More than 30 Ukrainians are
held by Russia. Who are they?
Age: 39
Filmmaker
Sentence: 20 years
Oleh Sentsov
This renowned filmmaker was detained on the Crimean Peninsula in May 2014 and taken to Moscow to face trial on charges related to his opposition of Crimea’s annexation by Russia. Sentsov, who says he was tortured by his Russian captors, was sentenced in August 2015. His jailing sparked international outcry, with top European film directors, the European Union, and the United States appealing for his release.
RUSSIA’S JAILED
UKRAINIANS
Age: 26
Union activist
Sentence: 10 years
Oleksandr Kolchenko
Kolchenko was detained along with Sentsov, was tried in Moscow on similar charges, and was sentenced in August 2015. He has always maintained his innocence and sang the Ukrainian national anthem along with Sentsov in court during their sentencing. The United States and Europe have called for Kolchenko’s release.
RELEASED
Hennadiy Afanasyev
Afanasyev was among those rounded up with Sentsov in Crimea in May 2014. He initially gave testimony that helped convict Sentsov and Kolchenko, but later recanted, saying it was obtained under duress.
Age: 24
Photographer
Sentence: 7 years
Oleksiy Chirniy
Chirniy was detained along with Sentsov and others in Crimea in May 2014. Like Afanasyev, he withdrew testimony that was used to convict Sentsov and Kolchenko, saying it was obtained under duress.
Age: 34
Teacher
Sentence: 7 years
Age: 74
Retired
Sentence: 6 years
Yuriy Soloshenko
This former defense-factory chief is serving a six-year sentence in a Moscow prison after being found guilty in October 2015 of spying for Ukraine. He was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Age: 32
Businessman
Sentence: 11 years
Valentyn Vyhivskiy
Vyhivskiy was detained in Crimea in August 2014, taken to Russia, and prosecuted on charges of online espionage relating to Russia’s aerospace industry. He received his sentence following a closed-door trial and is serving his time at a maximum-security prison. Ukrainian authorities have demanded his return and condemned his jailing as “an act of willful cynicism.”
Mykola Karpyuk
Karpyuk, a deputy head of the far-right political party Right Sector, was found guilty of fighting alongside Chechen separatists in the 1990s. A court in Chechnya ruled that Karpyuk, along with Stanislav Klykh, killed dozens of Russian soldiers during the Chechen wars – a claim widely viewed as fabricated. His prison sentence is still pending and is expected to range between 15 years to life. Karpyuk says he was repeatedly tortured and drugged in detention, and has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. The Moscow-based Memorial rights group has recognized Karpyuk as a political prisoner.
Age: 52
Right Sector official
Sentence:
22 years, 6 months
Stanislav Klykh
Klykh, a history professor and journalist, was found guilty of fighting alongside Chechen separatists in the 1990s. He and Karpyuk were found by a Chechen court to have killed dozens of Russian soldiers during the Chechen wars -- charges that are widely considered to be fabricated. Klykh, like Karpyuk, faces a sentence of 15 years to life. Also like Karpyuk, Klykh says he was repeatedly tortured and drugged in detention, and has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. The Moscow-based Memorial rights group has recognized Klykh as a political prisoner.
Age: 42
Professor/Journalist
Sentence: 20 years
Serhiy Lytvynov
Lytvynov, from the war-torn region of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, was detained in August 2014 as he sought treatment at a Russian dental clinic in the neighboring Rostov region. He was accused of killing 39 Russian men and of raping and killing a dozen Russian women – a charge that was later dropped during trial and replaced with theft charges. Lytvynov, who reportedly suffers from a learning disability, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.
Age: 33
Farmhand
Sentence:
8 years, 6 months
Age: 30
Corruption investigator
Sentence:
4 years, 2 months
Oleksandr Kostenko
Kostenko is serving a sentence of four years and two months in a Russian jail on charges of intentionally inflicting bodily harm on a security officer during the pro-democracy Euromaidan protests in Kyiv in February 2014. He was also found guilty of illegally obtaining, keeping, and carrying parts of a firearm. Kostenko denies all the accusations. His jailing is widely viewed as illegal since the alleged offense took place before Crimea’s annexation and involves only Ukrainian citizens. Memorial has recognized him as a political prisoner.
Age: 22
Farmhand
Sentence:
Faces 20 years
Andriy Kolomiyets
Kolomiyets detained in May 2015 in the North Caucasus, where he had been living with his partner. He was taken to Crimea and charged with the attempted murder of two riot police officers by allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at them during the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv in January 2014. He was also charged with possessing marijuana. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Yuriy Ilchenko
This blogger and director of a foreign-language school in Crimea has been held in pretrial detention in Simferopol since July 2015. Russian authorities have charged him with extremism and molesting his partner’s daughter, charges he and his family reject. Prior to his arrest, Ilchenko had posted comments online denouncing the annexation of Crimea and Russia’s support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Age: 37
School director
Sentence:
Faces 20 years
Age: 35
Unemployed
Sentence: 5 years
Khaiser Dzhemilev
Khaiser Dzhemilev is the son of veteran Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev. In June 2015, a court in Russia sentenced him to five years in prison for manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of a friend. Khaiser Dzhemilev has said he shot his friend by accident. He is serving his sentence in a jail in Astrakhan. His lawyer says the sentence is illegal since Dzhemilev has already been sentenced on the same charge by a Ukrainian court. Mustafa Dzhemilev, a staunch opponent of Crimea’s annexation who has been barred from reentering the peninsula, accuses Russian authorities of holding his son hostage.
Age: 52
Crimean Tatar official
Sentence:
Faces 15 years
Akhtem Chiyhoz
Chiyhoz, deputy head of the Crimean Tatars’ Mejlis assembly, has been in detention in a Crimean jail since January 2015. He awaits trial on charges of organizing riots and inciting violence during a February 2014 protest against the Russian takeover of Crimea. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Memorial has recognized Chiyhoz as a political prisoner.
Ali Asanov
Asanov, a Crimean Tatar, is accused of hitting a pro-Russian demonstrator during a February 2014 protest against the Russian takeover of Crimea. His trial is pending. Prosecutors have asked for an eight-year prison sentence. Memorial has recognized Asanov, a father of four, as a political prisoner.
Age: 34
Farmer
Sentence: Faces 8 years
Mustafa Dehermendzhy
Dehermendzhy, a Crimean Tatar, has been in pretrial detention since May 2015. He faces charges similar to those leveled against Chiyhoz and Asanov, related to his participation in anti-annexation protests. He faces up to 8 years in prison. Dehermendzhy has reportedly refused to testify against Chiygoz in return for a suspended sentence. Memorial has recognized him as a political prisoner.
Age: 27
Salesman
Sentence:
Faces 8 years
Age: 31
Construction worker
Sentence:
Faces 15 years
Ruslan Zeitullayev
Zeitullayev is part of a group that was detained in Crimea in 2015 and taken to Russia. He and three others in the group are currently on trial for alleged links to Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist organization that is legal in Ukraine but blacklisted in Russia as a terrorist group. Lawyers for the men say there is no evidence they were ever involved in terrorist activities. Zeitullayev faces 15 years in prison, the others up to 10 years. The rights group Memorial recognizes all those detained in connection with Hizb ut-Tahrir in Russia as political prisoners.
Rustem Vaitov
Vaitov is part of the group allegedly headed by Zeitullayev that was detained in Crimea in 2015, taken to Russia, and placed on trial for alleged links to the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. The group is considered by Russia to be a terrorist group, but lawyers for the men say there is no evidence they were ever involved in terrorist activities. Vaitov faces up to 10 years in prison. The rights group Memorial recognizes all those detained in Russia in connection with Hizb ut-Tahrir as political prisoners.
Age: 30
Construction foreman
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Age: 40
Construction worker
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Nuri Primov
Primov is part of the group allegedly headed by Zeitullayev that was detained in Crimea in 2015, taken to Russia, and placed on trial for alleged links to the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. The group is considered by Russia to be a terrorist group, but lawyers for the men say there is no evidence they were ever involved in terrorist activities. Primov faces up to 10 years in prison. The rights group Memorial recognizes all those detained in Russia in connection with Hizb ut-Tahrir as political prisoners.
Ferat Saifullayev
Saifullayev is part of the group allegedly headed by Zeitullayev that was detained in Crimea in 2015, taken to Russia, and placed on trial for alleged links to the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. The group is considered by Russia to be a terrorist group, but lawyers for the men say there is no evidence they were ever involved in terrorist activities. Primov faces up to 10 years in prison. The rights group Memorial recognizes all those detained in Russia in connection with Hizb ut-Tahrir as political prisoners.
Age: 32
Satellite-dish installer
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Muedin Alivapov
Alivapov, a Crimean Tatar activist, was detained in Crimea in January 2016 for allegedly torching cars in the cities of Yalta and Alushta. He faces up to 5 years in prison.
Age: 21
Gas-station worker
Sentence: Faces 5 years
Muslim Aliyev
Aliyev is part of a group that was detained in Crimea in February 2016 and accused of links to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Like most accused of ties to the Islamist group in Russia, Aliyev faces up to 10 years in prison.
Age: 45
Mechanic
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Age: 45
Security guard
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Enver Bekirov
Bekirov is part of a group that was detained in Crimea in February 2016 and accused of links to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Like most accused of ties to the Islamist group in Russia, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Age: Late 20s
Farmer
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Vadim Siruk
Siruk is the only non-Crimean Tatar among the group detained in Crimea in February 2016 and accused of links to the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. He is a convert to Islam through his wife, who believes he was detained in order for Crimea’s Russian-backed authorities to deny that Crimean Tatars are being targeted for prosecution. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Emir-Useyn Kuku
Kuku is part of a group that was detained in Crimea in February 2016 and accused of links to the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is considered a terrorist group by Russia. He is a lawyer and active human rights activist who had been briefly detained in 2015. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Age: 39
Lawyer/activist
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Age: 25
Housing office employee
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Arsen Dzhepparov
Dzhepparov is one of two young Crimean Tatars who were detained in April 2016 in Crimea after police raided and searched their homes. They were accused of being members of the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is legal in Ukraine but blacklisted in Russia as a terrorist group. Dzhepparov’s family denies that he belongs to Hizb ut-Tahrir. He faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Refat Alimov
Alimov is one of two young Crimean Tatars who were detained in April 2016 in Crimea after police raided and searched their homes. Alimov and Dzhepparov were accused of being members of the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, a claim their families deny. They face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Age: 25
Grocery firm employee
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Enver Mamutov
Mamutov is part of a group of Crimean Tatars detained during a raid in Bakhchisaray, the historical capital of the Crimean Tatar people, and charged with involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir. Mamutov is a businessman with seven children, and is known for his civic activities and for organizing two major Muslim festivals in Crimea. The prosecutor for the Russian-imposed government in Crimea has said he and the others face 10 to 20 years in prison.
Age: n/a
Businessman
Sentence:
Faces 20 years
Age: n/a
Builder
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Rustem Abiltarov
Abiltarov, a farther of four, is part of a group of Crimean Tatars detained during a raid in Bakhchisaray and charged with involvement with the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. He and the others face 10 to 20 years in prison.
Age: n/a
Cook
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
Remzi Memetov
Memetov is part of a group of Crimean Tatars detained during a raid in Bakhchisaray and charged with involvement with the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia. The cook at a Crimean Tatar restaurant faces 10 to 20 years in prison.
Zevri Abseitov
Abseitov is part of a group of Crimean Tatars detained during a raid in Bakhchisaray and charged with involvement with the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia. Abseitov, a dentist, faces 10 to 20 years in prison.
Age: n/a
Dentist
Sentence:
Faces 10 years
As Ukrainians celebrate the release of Nadia Savchenko, the military aviator held in a Russian jail for nearly two years, more than 30 Ukrainians, many of them Crimean Tatars, remain imprisoned by Russia on charges widely considered to be politically motivated.
Age: 27
Salesman
Sentence: Faces 8 years
Carlos Coelho | Claire Bigg