Leniye Umerova tried to visit her sick father in the occupied Crimea. Now Russia wants to sentence her to 20 years in prison” – Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

Leniye Umerova, a Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian citizen, has been behind bars in one of the toughest pre-trial detention centres in Russia for more than six months. Her so-called “crime” against Russia is that a young woman tried to visit her sick father in occupied Crimea. Now Russia wants to sentence her to 20 years in prison. This was stated by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the sidelines of the Third Summit of the Crimea Platform.

“And this is just one of many examples of the occupiers’ repressions against Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea, against the Crimean Tatar people, against the Muslim community of Crimea,” the President of Ukraine stressed.

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the fate of all the people whom Russia has deprived of their freedom in the occupied Crimea depends on the solidarity of the international community.

“It depends on our solidarity when Leniya Umerova, Nariman Dzhelyal, Vladyslav Yesypenko, Server Mustafayev, Iryna Danilovych, and many, many other people will be free again. People whose house was taken away and whose lives were broken. They have the right to live freely. Live with dignity. On earth without invaders.