Photo from Radio Liberty
The European Union has urged the immediate release of Deputy Chair of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Akhtem Chiygoz and all Ukrainians who were illegally detained in Crimea and Russia, according to a statement by the spokesperson of the EU European External Action Service (EEAS) on recent developments in Crimea.
"Today the so called 'Supreme Court' of Simferopol sentenced the Deputy Chair of the Mejlis, Akhtem Chiygoz, to eight years of imprisonment for 'organizing mass disturbances' in February 2014. The European Union has consistently followed the case of Mr. Chiygoz and insisted upon his release, a call which we reiterate today," the statement says.
It is also reported that "the banning of the activities of the Mejlis, their self-governing body and the persecution of its leaders, constitute serious and unacceptable violations of their rights."
Read alsoUkraine authorities condemn verdict against Chyigoz in occupied Crimea"We expect charges against another Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis, Mr. Ilmi Umerov, to be immediately dropped, and reiterate our longstanding position that all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in the Crimean peninsula and in the Russian Federation must be released immediately," the spokesperson said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the Supreme Court of Russian-annexed Crimea on Monday sentenced Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Akhtem Chiygoz to eight years in a high-security prison.