A Week of Firsthand Testimonies

The stories of political prisoners confirm that Crimea has not become Russian despite the repression, because brave people are fighting for Ukrainian Crimea. It is important that their resistance is known and that international attention to them helps to free them and bring them home.

Olha Skrypnyk, Head of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group, member organisation of Human Rights House Crimea.

The week-long series of events was organised by Ukrainian and international civil society organisations – among them Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and members of Human Rights House Crimea, in collaboration with EU institutions and the Mission of Ukraine to the EU. The programme aimed to centre the human rights situation in occupied Crimea, with an emphasis on justice, accountability, and the lived experiences of Crimeans under Russian occupation with key topics addressed being the systematic repression faced by Crimean Tatars, the militarisation and indoctrination of youth, and the suppression of independent journalism.

Opening at the Czech Republic Permanent Representation to the EU, the week began with testimonies from Crimean Tatar leader and former political prisoner Nariman Dzhelyal, recently released from Russian imprisonment, alongside human rights defenders Olha Kuryshko, Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Mariia Sulialina, from Almenda Center for Civic Education, and Viktoriia Nesterenko, from ZMINA Human Rights Centre. The discussion, moderated by HRHF, highlighted the enduring effects of occupation, the criminalisation of dissent, and the erasure of cultural identity. Read more.

At @CZtoEU_Brussels we launched today with Nariman Dzelial & Olha Kuryshko the very first #CrimeanWeek in Brussels.

🇨🇿 has backed Crimea for years – and we won’t stop. With @ZMINAua and other NGOs we stand up for human rights. #CrimeaIsUkraine #SlavaUkraini

More information:… pic.twitter.com/KhJcDpihTr

— Czech Permanent Representation to the EU (@CZtoEU_Brussels) May 12, 2025

Message to Decision-Makers: Justice Cannot Be Deferred

Throughout the week, HRHF and partners conducted targeted advocacy meetings with key EU institutions, including the Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), the European External Action Service (EEAS), and the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI).

Ukrainian human rights defenders speak at the hearing at the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) on 15 May 2025. — Ukrainian human rights defenders speak at the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) hearing on 15 May 2025.

Civil society voices, including Olha Skrypnyk of the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG), raised urgent concerns: the absence of accountability for war crimes and systemic repression, the continued detention of over 220 political prisoners—more than 100 of them Crimean Tatars—and insufficient support for civilian hostages and survivors with reintegration and psychosocial care being under-resourced.

Speakers stressed the need for stronger coordination among justice mechanisms, donor platforms, and EU Member States. As one participant noted:

Crimea is the clearest example of what happens when past and present crimes go unpunished.

The cases requiring urgent attention were also raised, such as the one of Khatidzhe Buyukhchan, a 24-year-old Crimean Tatar woman forcibly disappeared by Russian authorities and whose whereabouts remain unknown. Nariman Dzhelyal underscored the crucial role of international attention in preventing further disappearances, noting that her family had been intimidated into silence by the Russian FSB. Read more.

From left to right: Olha Kuryshko, Mariia Sulialina, Heléne Fritzon, Member of the European Parliament, Olha Skrypnyk, and Viktoriia Nesterenko at the European Parliament on 15 May 2025.

Speaking Truth in Policy Spaces

Several exhibitions and panel events at the European Parliament visually amplified the voices of those still in Crimea.

The photo exhibition Crimea Through the Eyes of Citizen Journalists and the launch of the book Free Voices of Crimea, presented by ZMINA, honoured independent journalists who continue to report under the threat of surveillance, detention, or worse.

During the #CrimeaWeek in Brussels 🇪🇺, we opened an exhibition dedicated to the work of civilian journalists in the occupied Crimea.

The book “The Free Voices of Crimea” about 16 political prisoners-journalists was also presented.

More about the book: https://t.co/uBxeQs70cw pic.twitter.com/zSHv4myWyD

— Human Rights Centre ZMINA (@zminaUkraine) May 20, 2025

The documentary Without the Right to Defence, screened by Crimea SOS, and the supporting discussion with experts from CHRG and ZMINA shed light on arbitrary detentions, inhumane conditions and no real access to legal defence for Crimean political prisoners. Read more.

The documentary film “Without the Right to Defence” screening and discussion with left to right: Artem Oliinyk, Crimea SOS, Olha Skrypnyk, CHRG, Viktoria Nesterenko, ZMINA, moderated by Nora Wehofsits, HRHF. 14 May 2025 — “Without the Right to Defence” documentary film screening and discussion with: (left to right) Artem Oliinyk, Crimea SOS, Olha Skrypnyk, CHRG, Viktoria Nesterenko, ZMINA, moderated by Nora Wehofsits, HRHF on 14 May 2025.

The EEAS hosted two exhibitions and an opening event to further showcase testimonies from occupied territories. The exhibition Life under Russian Occupation: Stolen Childhood and Civilian Hostages featured stories of children, parents, and teachers from occupied territories with Mariia Sulialina, Almenda, describing how education has been weaponised to indoctrinate youth. The second exhibition by the Centre for Civil Liberties titled Please, Free the Birds was dedicated to Ukrainian civilian hostages and highlighted the struggle of families fighting for the release of their loved ones.

🔸 Event “Life under Russian Occupation: Stolen Childhood and Civilian Hostages”

Mariia also spoke about the reality of life in occupied Crimea at a second event held at the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Guests at the event had the opportunity to explore 5 stories of… pic.twitter.com/W2wGUdEPBi

— CCE “Almenda” (@CCE_Almenda) May 19, 2025

Another key event, Children under Occupation: Education, Militarisation, and Persecution of Ukrainian Youth in Occupied Crimea, was held at Université libre de Bruxelles, examining the systematic indoctrination, Russification, and psychological manipulation of youth in occupied Crimea. Read more.

Justice as the Precondition for Peace

The Crimea Week in Brussels called on the international community to place human rights and accountability at the centre of discussions about Crimea’s future, advocating for sustained international attention and action to address ongoing abuses and support the resilience of its people.

Ukrainian human rights defenders stressed that human rights cannot be postponed in the name of political feasibility. One main message of the week was clear: there can be no sustainable peace without justice and accountability.

Nora Wehofsits, International Advocacy Officer, Human Rights House Foundation.

The Crimea Week in Brussels was organised by Ukrainian and international civil society organisations – among them Human Rights House Foundation and members of Human Rights House Crimea, in collaboration with the European Union institutions and the Mission of Ukraine to the EU.