26 May 2021, 19:09 UTC
Responding to news that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has rejected the appeal by the imprisoned Crimean Tatar human rights defender and prisoner of conscience Emir-Usein Kuku, Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty Internationalâs Moscow Office Director who attended the court hearing, said:
âThe decision to keep Emir-Usein Kuku behind bars demonstrates the Russian stateâs disdain for the rule of law and its international human rights obligations, and speaks volumes about its desire to eradicate dissent in annexed Crimea.â
âEmir-Usein Kuku and his co-defendants were convicted and sentenced to lengthy imprisonment on the basis of trumped-up charges and in overt disregard of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the application of an occupying powerâs legislation in an occupied territory. They have been accused of membership of an organization prohibited in Russia, but not in Ukraine. What is more, this purported membership has not even been proven, nor have other crimes of which they stand accused.