Akim Gafarov is a political prisoner
A Crimean Tatar has been sentenced to eight years in a strict regime colony on a charge of involvement in the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Akim Gafarov a political prisoner. Gafarov was convicted on charges of participating in an illegal armed group in Ukraine, for purposes against the interests of the Russian Federation, for allegedly being a member of the Crimean Tatar Noman Çelebicihan Battalion. Gafarov’s prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Akim Gafarov and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Akim Gafarov?
In 2016, Akim Gafarov, a Crimean Tatar, left Crimea for mainland Ukraine. He stated that after the annexation of the peninsula, his home was searched by the authorities on the pretext of investigating a stolen bicycle, and he feared for his family’s safety as a result.
Initially, Gafarov settled in Chernihiv, before moving to Kherson. He then spent some time living and working at the base of the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion, which was stationed near the administrative border with Crimea, because he had no other housing or work. The prosecution claims that in 2016–2017 Gafarov was a participant in an illegal armed group because he was at the Battalion’s base, where he allegedly performed logistical and security duties. After leaving the base, Gafarov did not inform Russian authorities that he had left the Battalion, and on these grounds the investigative authorities claimed he thereafter continued to participate in the group.
In 2021, Gafarov was convicted in absentia and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment on charges of participation in an illegal armed group not provided for by Ukrainian law and acting against the interests of Russia (Article 208, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code).
After the occupation of Kherson Oblast in 2022, Gafarov was detained. At his request, his initial conviction was annulled, and a retrial in his case was ordered. On 22 May 2024, a court found Gafarov guilty and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment. However, on 8 August, on appeal, his sentence was increased to eight years, with the first three years to be served in a cell-type prison and the remainder in a strict regime penal colony.
Why do we consider Akim Gafarov a political prisoner?
Participation in the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion does not constitute a criminal offence. The unit was formed in September 2015 after the leaders of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people announced a civil blockade of Crimea. The Battalion did not engage in combat and was essentially not a military unit but a civil society association.
At the same time, the activities of the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion cannot be regarded as unlawful. This is evidenced by the joint border patrols the unit conducted with Ukraine’s Border Guard Service, while the question of the Battalion’s status on Ukrainian soil is an internal matter for the Ukrainian authorities. Moreover, it is not the Crimean-Tatar association that contradicts Russian interests, but Russia’s unlawful annexation of Ukrainian territory.
Gafarov did not carry weapons; he performed tasks in a logistical, non-military role while with the Battalion. As a displaced person from Crimea, he was provided with temporary housing and an opportunity to earn a living. The only evidence used to support his alleged involvement in an unlawful armed group is testimony from a number of witnesses who have appeared in dozens of similar cases, and photographs of Gafarov in camouflage clothing with no identifying insignia.
This case, like many involving the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion, is part of a broader campaign of repression against Crimean Tatars, who are targeted for their ethnicity and their real or perceived opposition to the annexation of Crimea by Russia.
A detailed description of Akim Gafarov’s case and of our position is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
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