13 March 2025

Crimean Political Prisoner Rustem Virati Passes Away in Russian Prison

Crimean Tatar Rustem Virati died in a Russian prison. His family was informed of his death on February 10, 2025, but the exact date and cause of death remain unknown.

Rustem Virati, a resident of the Henichesk district in the Kherson region, was illegally detained by the Russian occupation administration in the spring of 2023. Following his unlawful arrest, he was subjected to numerous acts of torture and severe beatings.

Rustem was illegally convicted on fabricated charges. He became yet another victim of the political repression systematically carried out by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

This tragedy is yet another testament to the systematic human rights violations and inhumane treatment of Ukrainian political prisoners unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation.

In 2023, due to inadequate detention conditions and lack of medical care in Russian prisons, two political prisoners—Dzhemil Hafarov and Kostiantyn Shyrinh—lost their lives.

The international community must recognize that the Russian Federation bears full responsibility for the lives and well-being of all political prisoners illegally held in the temporarily occupied Crimea and in Russia.

We call on international human rights organizations, governments of democratic countries, and international institutions to:

• Strongly condemn the actions of the Russian Federation and demand the immediate release of all Ukrainian political prisoners.
• Increase pressure on Russia to ensure proper detention conditions and access to medical care for all prisoners.
• Continue monitoring the human rights situation in occupied Crimea and take all necessary measures to protect the rights of Ukrainian citizens.