01 February 2025

Visually Impaired Political Prisoner Oleksandr Sizikov Is Unlawfully Transferred to Yeniseysk Prison

Oleksandr Sizikov, a Crimean political prisoner unlawfully sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment, is being transferred to a high-security penal facility in the city of Yeniseysk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, more than 5,500 kilometers from Crimea. In a letter to his attorney, Sizikov disclosed this information.

According to Sizikov, he was transported to Novosibirsk on January 22, where he was informed that his final destination would be the Yeniseysk prison. His estimated arrival date is January 28.

Sizikov lost his vision completely following a car accident in 2009. Additionally, due to another medical emergency, his spleen was removed. He has a lifelong first-degree disability due to blindness and suffers from chronic gastrointestinal and spinal conditions that require continuous medical supervision, rehabilitation, and specialized treatment. His mother, Olena Sizikova, has repeatedly warned that her son’s detention in Russian prisons—especially under conditions of long-distance transfers—could lead to catastrophic health deterioration.

It should be recalled that Oleksandr Sizikov was detained on July 7, 2020, alongside six other Crimean Tatars during a series of unlawful mass searches conducted by Russian occupying forces in Crimea. Despite his severe disability, the occupying “court” in Simferopol initially placed him under house arrest before later unlawfully sentencing him to 17 years in prison. In May 2023, a court in Rostov-on-Don upheld this verdict despite Sizikov’s medical condition being explicitly included in the Russian government’s official list of illnesses prohibiting incarceration. In September 2024, an appellate court reaffirmed the sentence. The day after the appeal ruling, law enforcement officers forcibly removed Sizikov from his home at night and transported him to an undisclosed location.

The occupying administration continues to violate international law by systematically persecuting Ukrainian citizens on politically motivated charges. The transfer of Ukrainian political prisoners to remote regions of Russia is a deliberate tactic designed to isolate them from their families, human rights organizations, and legal assistance while depriving them of access to necessary medical care.

We call on the international community to intensify diplomatic and legal pressure on Russia, demanding the immediate release of all unlawfully imprisoned Ukrainian citizens and an end to the political repression in occupied Crimea.