The book by Crimean Tatar political prisoner Osman Arifmemetov was presented at the Sens bookstore in Kyiv

On 9 July 2025, the book “My deportation. Reports of a Crimean journalist written in detention” was presented at the Sens bookstore in Kyiv. The book is a diary written by Osman Arifmemetov, a Crimean Tatar civic journalist and political prisoner.

Oleksandra Yefymenko, Mariia Horbach, Tetiana Pechonchyk, Iryna Slavinska

The book was published in May 2025 by Vikhola publishing house on the initiative of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

“My Deportation” is a unique testimony about Russian persecution in occupied Crimea, written from within the repressive system.

Osman is a civic journalist who has been covering fabricated trials in occupied Crimea for years. In 2019, he was unlawfully imprisoned on charges of terrorist activity. Several Crimean Tatar activists were also put on trial alongside him. He was detained by the Russians on fabricated charges of terrorist activity and has been unlawfully held in unlawful imprisonment for seven years. Arifmemetov was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In his diary, the author describes Russian detention centres, absurd accusations, torture, psychological pressure and life in inhumane conditions. Despite the repression, he does not lose his sense of humour, strength of spirit, or hope. His diary is also a story of love for his people, the fight for identity, and the remembrance of the Crimean Tatar tragedy.

Opening the presentation, Radek Pech, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Ukraine, said: “It is a great honour to be associated with this book and with Ukraine’s fight against the Russian Federation. The Czech Republic supports Ukraine in the humanitarian and military sectors, as well as politically. And this support will continue until Crimea returns home. This book is important because it contains documentation of Russia’s crimes – it preserves the truth“.

Radek Pech, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Ukraine

Journalist Oleksandra Yefymenko, who worked in occupied Crimea from 2017 to 2021, spoke about the importance of civic journalism and her acquaintance with Arifmemetov: “I am from Sevastopol, and when my home was occupied by the Russians, I decided to work in Crimea. I first saw Osman on Facebook in 2016, when Russian security forces tried to abduct Imam Bilial Adilov outside a court building. It was thanks to civic journalists, in particular Osman’s live stream from the scene, that the man was rescued. This is the power of words, the power of information“.

She noted that exactly such cases led to the emergence of civic journalism in Crimea, when access to professional media was impossible: “People from different professions – teachers, educators and merchants – simply took their phones and streamed events because they understood that information from the peninsula was important. And the occupying authorities did everything they could to block this information“.

Oleksandra Yefymenko also noted that Osman Arifmemetov’s book is important because it is about human dignity and the value of freedom: “The only thing missing from this book is his signature. Everything else is very accurate and true. It is a book about inner freedom, human dignity, and the fact that people cannot remain indifferent“.

During the presentation, the Head of the Board of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Tetiana Pechonchyk, spoke about the process of creating the book, which began with the first texts Osman Arifmemetov sent from behind bars. His notes were edited and translated into Ukrainian.

“When I first saw Osman’s texts – they were passed on to me by a Crimean activist – I immediately understood that people had to see them. These are powerful and profound texts written by a person who is going through persecution, who deeply reflects on what is happening to him and draws historical parallels with the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 and Stalin’s repressions. To be honest, what is happening now is the same logic of repression,” Pechonchyk emphasised.

Tetiana Pechonchyk

According to her, reading Osman Arifmemetov’s texts evokes associations with Ivan Bahrianyi’s novel “The Garden of Gethsemane”: “It is a description of a person going through the grinding wheels of the system – when it is extremely difficult physically and emotionally, but the person inside remains free. They can imprison you, but they cannot take away your inner freedom. Osman’s book is about this: about the inner freedom of a person behind bars. Just like many other Ukrainians, including 28 imprisoned journalists, 16 of whom are from Crimea“.

Literary editor and translator Mariia Horbach shared her experience working on Osman Arifmemetov’s texts written in captivity. She emphasised that preserving the authenticity of the author’s voice was her main task: “These are not just texts from behind bars — they are texts by a person who sees the world clearly, honestly and does not lose hope. A person in such conditions retains the ability to reflect deeply. Moreover, they show various sources of support to rely on even in captivity“.

Oleksandra Yefymenko, Mariia Horbach

The discussion was moderated by Iryna Slavinska, journalist, translator, executive producer of Radio Culture, and member of PEN Ukraine.

You can receive a paper copy of the book by donating to support the family of Osman Arifmemetov.

The books are also available for purchase on the Vikhola publishing house website:

Print version: https://bit.ly/4lqVM2h

E-book version: https://bit.ly/3HhoWkK

The Human Rights Centre ZMINA emphasises that everyone can support Crimean political prisoners by writing them a letter. At the book presentation, participants also wrote letters of support to Osman Arifmemetov.

The event was organised with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

As a reminder, on 22 June, at “The Land of Dreams” festival in Kyiv, as part of the Crimean stage, the first presentation of Osman Arifmemetov’s book “My deportation. Reports of a Crimean journalist written in detention” took place.

More photos from the presentation can be found here.