Russian occupiers detain abducted Crimean woman Lenora Dzhemilova in a Simferopol detention facility, accuse her of high treason

Occupying forces are holding Lenora Dzhemilova, a Crimean woman abducted in May of last year, in Simferopol Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1. The 28-year-old resident of the Dzhankoy District is accused of treason, as reported by the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG). The detained woman’s situation is also being covered by “Tribunal. Crimean Episode”.

Source: Ukrinform

 

Controlled by Moscow media outlets only reported Dzhemilova’s detention in March of this year. For 10 months, Russian security forces denied any involvement in her disappearance and held the woman in complete isolation.

“Now they are assuring everyone that she offered Ukrainian special services her assistance in collecting data on the location of military airfields, equipment, and other classified information,” the Telegram channel “Tribunal. Crimean Episode” stated.

CHRG named Dzhemilova’s case a classic illustration of the Russian security forces’ methods in the occupied territory to meet their targets for combating “spies.” First, they select a victim and abduct them. Then, for a long time, for several years in some cases, they are held in an unknown location with an unclear status and uncertain prospects.

In the language of the Russian security forces, this procedure is called “detention for verification,” and it is illegal, as emphasised by human rights activists.

They explained that later, when the “client is ready,” they are offered to give on-camera testimony written by the investigator. If the person agrees, they have the opportunity to inform relatives of their whereabouts and arrest, receive legal assistance and parcels, and write letters.

A similar case involves the mother of the abducted Crimean woman, Lenora Dzhemilova, who reported that in May 2024, after a search, her daughter was taken to a “magistrate’s court”. There, a decision was made for an administrative detention of 15 days for allegedly refusing to undergo a drug test.

Later, FSB officers informed Dzhemilova’s sister that after the end of her sentence, she would not be released but would be taken to the FSB. Since then, relatives have had no information about the girl’s whereabouts or her legal status.

Dzhemilova’s mother appealed to the illegitimate FSB directorate in temporarily occupied Simferopol and received a response stating that no criminal cases had been initiated or investigated against her daughter.

At the same time, the occupying prosecutor’s office stated that there were no grounds for prosecutorial action, explaining that a detailed response to the abduction complaint was impossible due to the inadmissibility of disclosing state secrets.

For almost 10 months, relatives have received no information about Lenora Dzhemilova.