«Crimea has transformed into a huge prison»: state human rights activists as they shed light on the condition of Ukrainian political prisoners

On the Day of Ukrainian Political Prisoners, January 12, representatives of the human rights coalition «Ukraine. Five in the Morning» held a press conference addressing the condition of Ukrainian prisoners held by the Kremlin.

According to Olga Skrypnyk, the head of the board of the Crimean Human Rights Group, over 180 Ukrainian citizens currently hold the status of political prisoners.

«After the full-scale invasion, Crimea turned into a vast prison for our citizens from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, parts of which are occupied. In the initial months, we began documenting cases where individuals with signs of torture were discovered in Crimean detention centers», — Skrypnyk noted.

Over the two years of full-scale conflict, two new pre-trial detention centers, SIZO 2 and SIZO 8, were established on the peninsula. Skrypnyk also mentioned that some civilian prisoners are not officially recognized by the Russian Federation and are absent from any lists, existing in a so-called «incommunicado» status. As an example, she cited Oleksandr Babych, the mayor of Hola Prystan, held by the Russians in Simferopol in SIZO 1.

Skrypnyk discussed various cases of Crimean prisoners of the Kremlin, highlighting the situation of artist Bohdan Ziza:

«At each trial, he organized a performance, reading out the entire list of Kremlin prisoners at the beginning. And during the last word, he recited a poem in Ukrainian in the occupation court»

In May 2022, Bohdan Ziza poured blue and yellow paint on the administration building of the city of Yevpatoria, leading to his detention by Russian law enforcement officers on suspicion of terrorism. Subsequently, Ziza was sentenced to 15 years in a general regime colony.

Skrypnyk emphasized the need for clearer data verification, support for prisoners and those returning from captivity. Although the law currently functions partially in terms of financing, she stressed the importance of addressing rehabilitation, medical care, accurate figures for civilian hostages for international partners, developing a procedure to confirm crimes against Ukrainian citizens, and establishing effective communication between the state and prisoners.

These steps are crucial in dealing with civilian hostages and political prisoners, according to the head of the board of the Crimean Human Rights Group.