First Deputy Chairman of Crimean Mejlis Dzhelial sends letter from Russian prison

Nariman Dzhelial, one of the leaders of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatar national movement, has written a letter to his wife from prison in the Russian city of Minusinsk in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Source: Leviza Dzhelialova, wife of Dzhelial, on Facebook

Details: Dzhelialova reports that her husband has not gotten in touch with her for a long time since he was moved from the city of Simferopol in Crimea. The Russian federative body did not respond to letters.

Nariman states in the letter that a month and a half ago, he was moved from Simferopol to the Russian city of Minusinsk. On the road, he caught a cold but has recovered.

Background:

• A gas pipeline was damaged in the village of Perevalne between Simferopol and Yalta on 23 August 2021, on the Day of the Ukrainian Flag. A criminal case was opened in Russia under Part 1 of Article 281 of the Russian Criminal Code (sabotage), which means imprisonment for a term of 10 to 15 years.
• Five Crimean Tatars were detained in Crimea on 3-4 September 2021: Nariman Dzhelial, Aziz Akhtemov, Asan Akhtemov, Shevket Useinov and Eldar Odamanov. Nariman Dzhelial (Dzhelialov is the Russian version of his surname) was kept handcuffed and with a bag over his head for the whole day. 

• In October, it was reported that Nariman Dzhelial, along with cousins Asan and Aziz Akhmetov, had been moved to Minusinsk in Eastern Siberia.
• These three Crimeans were sentenced by the occupiers in 2022 on falsified terrorism charges: Dzhelial to 17 years, Asan Akhtemov to 15 years and Aziz Akhtemov to 13 years in prison.

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