Russia: Tatar activist get three years in jail for stance on Crimea
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 15 September 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia: Tatar activist get three years in jail for stance on Crimea, 15 September 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/561d046211.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 15, 2015
By RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service
Rafis Kashapov
A court in Russia's republic of Tatarstan has sentenced the chairman of the Tatar Public Center to three years in jail.
On September 15, the Chally City Court found Rafis Kashapov guilty of calling for separatism and inciting ethnic hatred and sentenced him the same day.
Kashapov placed several articles on the Internet last year harshly criticizing Russia's annexation of Tatar-populated Crimea from Ukraine and Moscow's involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
He was arrested on December 28 upon return from Turkey.
Kashapov pleaded not guilty and called his case politically motivated.
Kashapov's Tatar Public Center is an NGO in Tatarstan's second largest city, Chally, which campaigns to preserve Tatars' national identity, language, and culture.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
