Woman human rights defender and journalist Lutfiye Zudieva received a warning from Russian de-facto authorities
On 7 May 2024, Crimean Tatar woman human rights defender and journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva received a written warning. The document is an official warning issued to the woman human rights defender against her possible involvement in organizing or participating in illegal mass actions, threatening her with "inevitable prosecution". Lutfiye Zudiyeva signed the warning, yet stated in writing she does not agree with it.
Lutfiye Zudiyeva is a prominent Crimean Tatar woman human rights defender and member of the human rights movement Crimean Solidarity which monitors politically-motivated trials in Russian-occupied Crimea and supports political prisoners and their families. She also works as a journalist for the Ukrainian media outlet Graty. In September 2022, together with the editor-in-chief of Graty, she was shortlisted for the “Honour of the Profession” Ukrainian journalism award. In 2019, she cooperated with the film crew of the documentary about the repression of the Crimean Tatars “Tomorrow Comes Yesterday” (Turkey). Lutfiye Zudiyeva also founded the child development center Elif in Dzhankoy, Crimea which organizes educational events and activities for local children.
On 7 May 2024, Crimean Tatar woman human rights defender and journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva received a written warning. The document is an official warning issued to the woman human rights defender against her possible involvement in organizing or participating in illegal mass actions, threatening her with "inevitable prosecution". Lutfiye Zudiyeva signed the warning, yet stated in writing she does not agree with it.
Lutfiye Zudiyeva is a prominent Crimean Tatar woman human rights defender and member of the human rights movement Crimean Solidarity which monitors politically-motivated trials in Russian-occupied Crimea and supports political prisoners and their families. She also works as a journalist for the Ukrainian media outlet Graty. In September 2022, together with the editor-in-chief of Graty, she was shortlisted for the “Honour of the Profession” Ukrainian journalism award. In 2019, she cooperated with the film crew of the documentary about the repression of the Crimean Tatars “Tomorrow Comes Yesterday” (Turkey). Lutfiye Zudiyeva also founded the child development center Elif in Dzhankoy, Crimea which organizes educational events and activities for local children.
On 7 May 2024, Lutfiye Zudiyeva received a document that warned her against potential involvement in organizing or participating in any illegal mass actions. This warning lacked detailed motivation as to why she was being targeted. The warning cited several articles from the Russian administrative and criminal codes concerning countering extremism. A law enforcement officer from Dzankoi District Police Department personally delivered the warning and and asked her to sign a document. Woman human rights defender signed it, yet made a written note at the bottom of the document stating that she disagrees with a presented warning and there are no legal basis for her to be targeted with such measures.
On 6 May 2024, the day before the delivery of the warning, a law enforcement officer from Dzankoi District Police Department question Lutfiye Zudieva in her home. She refused to cooperate in the absence of her lawyer. The law enforcement officer stated that he was sent to question woman human rights defender at a request of the Center for Countering Extremism in Simferopol.
This incident is a yet another attempt to intimidate Lutfiye Zudieva who has faced similar harassment previously. In February 2024, Russian de-facto law enforcement officers in Russian-occupied Crimea raided her house and accused her of violating Russia's censorship laws. In July 2023, Lutfiye Zudiyeva was arbitrarily detained and then fined in Simferopol while trying to attend a trial at the Supreme Court of Russian-occupied Crimea. The continued threats against Lutfiye Zudiyeva are a part of an intimidation pattern against human rights defenders that Russian de-facto authorities continue to carry out since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Front Line Defenders expresses grave concern about the repeated acts of intimidation against the woman human rights defenders Lutfiye Zudiyeva, as the organization believes that she is being targeted for her legitimate and peaceful human rights work. The organization continues to raise its concern with Russia’s de-facto authorities’ widespread practices of intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders in the Russian-occupied Crimea.
Front Line Defenders urges the Russian de-facto authorities in Crimea to:
- Immediately and unconditionally stop all forms of harassment against women human rights defender and journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva;
- Ensure Lutfiye Zudiyeva’s physical and psychological integrity;
- Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Crimea can conduct their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.
