International human rights organization Freedom House has called on Russia to release detained Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Emil Kurbedinov and his client Seyran Seliev in the Crimea on January 26. An appropriate statement was made by the vice-president Robert Herman, posted at Freedom House website.
“Russia should release Kurbedinov and Saliev and should begin complying with the international law on occupation,” said Robert Herman, vice president for international programs. “Russian forces’ repeated violation of basic legal principles has made Crimea an area where fundamental human rights no longer apply, and where there is little hope for legal challenges to the security forces’ whims”, reads the statement.
On January 26, occupation forces detained Emil Kurbedinov, a prominent Crimean Tatar lawyer in Crimea, and one of his clients, Seyran Saliev. Kurbedinov was arrested and almost immediately tried and convicted of propaganda or public display of Nazi or extremist symbols. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail.
Saliev is expected to be charged with terrorism. Saliev’s home was aggressively searched by armed men apparently looking for materials connected with Hizb-ut-Tahrir.