18:19, 1 August 2024

Arrest of Crimean Tatar Leniye Umerova, accused of espionage, extended until November 4

A Moscow court has extended the custody of Leniye Umerova, a Tatar woman from Crimean, accused of espionage.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the 25-year-old Umerova, who had been held in a temporary detention facility (known as IVS) in Vladikavkaz since December 2022, was suspected of espionage. Her relatives called the charges fabricated. Human rights defenders have noted that Umerova's criminal prosecution contradicts the Geneva Convention on the Protection of the Civilian Population.

The Lefortovo Court of Moscow has extended Umerova's custody until November 4, 2024, the "OVD-Info"* project has reported.

Let us remind you that on May 5, the "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial" project declared Umerova as a political prisoner. The young woman was first subjected to "carousel" arrests, and then sent to the SIZO (pre-trial prison), where she is not allowed to have visitors and make phone calls, since the case is classified, human rights defenders have noted.

Umerova is a native of Crimea and has Ukrainian citizenship. Since 2015, she lived in Kyiv. In December 2022, she went to Crimea to visit her sick father, but she was detained by Russian law enforcers and accused of violating the rules for crossing the state border.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 1, 2024 at 09:08 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot