Emil Kurbedinov
Emil Kurbedinov is a prominent human rights defender and lawyer in Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine. Since the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in February-March 2014, he has been actively involved in the defense of the rights of Crimean Tatars who became a targeted group, along with civil society activists and journalists. He provides people with legal aid, observes searches at activists’ homes, and uses social media and international conferences to bring public attention to human rights violations in Crimea. Emil Kurbedinov was the winner of the 2017 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.
Human rights defenders, after the political changes brought about by the 'Euromaidan' movement for independence and which led to political and military confrontation with Russia, work in a situation of armed conflict, helping people to survive and move from the conflict affected zones. In addition to established human rights organizations, dozens of new groups and organizations were created to assist more than a million IDPs to settle in new places.
There is not much pressure on human rights defenders from the central government, but risks connected with security increased due to armed conflicts in the east of the country and political confrontation with the current Crimean administration.
