On 27 July, a journalist at “Graty” Lutfiye Zudiyeva, was appointed to cover a court hearing in the Crimean Court on the case of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Dzhelal and the Akhtemov brothers, a correspondent at “Graty,” Tetiana Kozak, wrote on Facebook.

As per “Graty,” Zudiyeva was not allowed entry into the court and was later detained. Additionally, 12 other Crimean Tatars, relatives and friends of Dzhelal and Akhtemov, were also detained when they attempted to attend the open session.

When Zudiyeva showed the police the press card and explained about carrying out an editorial assignment, she was ignored.

Zudiyeva was taken to the Zaliznychny District Police Department of Simferopol, where the police threatened her and tried to force her to give fingerprints and saliva samples. She refused.

As a result, the police issued an administrative report against the journalist, accusing her of “participation in a mass simultaneous stay of citizens in a public place near the Supreme Court of Crimea for the purpose of further media coverage.” This incident confirms that the police were aware of Zudiyeva’s status as a journalist, Tetiana Kozak said.

According to “Graty,” Lutfiye Zudiyeva has been working with the media since its establishment in 2019.

“She writes professionally, adhering to journalistic standards, consistently about the persecution of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea. Zudiyeva has been writing about the case of Nariman Dzhelal and the Akhtemov brothers since the beginning of the criminal prosecution. Today she planned to write about the end of this story,” Tetiana Kozak added.

What is the case according to Suspilne Crimea:

• On 3 and 4 September 2022, five Crimean Tatars – businessman Eldar Odamanov, brothers Aziz and Asan Akhtemov, Shevket Useynov, and Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelialov were detained in Simferopol and Yevpatoriya on suspicion of blowing up a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalne, Crimea.
• On 22 September, the charges against Nariman Dzhelialov were toughened, reclassifying him as a saboteur as part of an organized group, which is punishable by imprisonment from 12 to 20 years. In addition, he is accused of illegal acquisition, transfer, and storage of explosives as part of an organized group.
• On 7 October, Dzhelialov was forcibly sent to the “Crimean Republican Psychiatric Hospital.”
• On 8 November, Nariman Dzhelialov was charged with “smuggling an explosive device.” The occupation FSB has already toughened the charges against Dzhelialov, first reclassifying the incriminated act from aiding and abetting to full participation in the commission of sabotage.
• Detainees claimed that they testified under torture, the case was falsified, and the accusations were politically motivated.