Human rights project “Support for political prisoners. Memorial recognized 19-year-old Crimean Tatar Appaz Kurtamet as a political prisoner. He was sentenced to 7 years of strict regime for lending 500 hryvnia to his friend, who is fighting for Ukraine.

Appaz Kurtamet is a resident of the village of Novoalekseevka in the Kherson region of Ukraine, the son of the head of the local Muslim community. In the summer of 2022, he decided to visit his relatives and arrived at the checkpoint between the Kherson region and Crimea. After that, contact with him disappeared: his relatives could not find him for several months.

Only on October 5, Kurtamet called home and said that he was in a pre-trial detention center and needed a lawyer. He was accused of financing an illegal armed group. He transferred 500 hryvnia to his friend, which the investigation and the court interpreted as funding for the Crimea battalion, of which he is a member.

According to human rights activists, the very fact of Kurtamet’s financing of the Crimea battalion has not been proven. He only lent a small amount to his friend, who later repaid the loan. This is confirmed by bank documents.

In addition, the Crimea battalion cannot be an “armed formation not provided for by federal law.” The legal status of the Ukrainian unit is an internal matter of this state.