The occupiers opened a criminal case against 25-year-old Crimean Tatar Emine Zekeryayeva for “failure to report a crime”

A resident of the occupied Crimea, Crimean Tatar Emine Zekeryayeva from the city of Staryi Krym, was summoned for questioning by the occupation “law enforcement” officers, where she was informed about the illegal opening of a criminal case under article 205.6 of the criminal code of the russian federation “failure to report a crime”. 

According to the occupiers, in 2016, Emine Zekeryayeva communicated on the social network “vkontakte” with a Ukrainian citizen who was in Syria, and did not report this correspondence to the occupation special services. The girl, according to the occupiers, allegedly was a member of an armed group with goals “contrary to the interests of the russian federation.”

Lawyer Emil Kurbedinov, who accompanied Emine Zekeryayeva for interrogation, believes that Russian security forces are trying to involve ordinary citizens in such criminal cases and are forming a legalized practice of denunciation.

The sanction of the so-called “article” provides for punishment in the form of a fine of up to 100 000 rubles or the amount of the convict’s wages or other income for a period of up to six months, or forced labor for up to one year, or imprisonment for the same period. Emine Zekeriyeva has two minor children of preschool age.

A search of Zekeriyeva’s house was conducted in August 2023, and she learned that an illegal case had been opened against her only two months later. The occupiers are engaged in a practice of deliberate intimidation and persecution of Crimean Tatars and Crimean Muslims. It should be reminded that cases of failure to report were also initiated against four Crimean Tatars: Rizvan Umerov, Ayder Kadyrov, Ayder Ablyakimov and Enver Topchi.