Statement on the persecution of Crimean lawyers and illegal searches of their offices

Lawyers, who defend human rights and protect citizens persecuted by the Russian occupation authorities for political reasons in the temporarily occupied Crimea, have once again become targets of pressure from the security forces of the Russian Federation. The persecution of human rights defenders and lawyers in the temporarily occupied Crimea, using various pressure mechanisms, is a systematic policy of the occupation authorities, which is aimed at ensuring that both lawyers and advocates cease their activities or become under the control of the occupation authorities. Thus, most of the lawyers in the occupied Crimea have been deprived of their attorney licenses to practice law and are constantly subjected to pressure and persecution.

On December 11, 2025, in the city of Simferopol, employees of the Crimean Centre for Countering Extremism (Centre “E”) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and special police units came to search two offices of a group of lawyers, where lawyers Edem Semedlyaev, Emil Kurbedinov and jurists Nazim Sheykmambetov, Elvina Semedlyaeva, Rustem Kyamilev and Lilya Gemedzhi carry out their professional activities. At the time of the visit of the security forces, Edem Semedlyaev, Nazim Sheykmambetov, Lilya Gemedzhi and Rustem Kyamilev were in the office. The security forces did not let lawyer Emil Kurbedinov into the office, and at first, they also did not inform about the reasons for the searches. The criminal actions of the security forces were coordinated by the head of the local Centre “E” Ruslan Shambazov.

According to the lawyers, both searches were carried out with numerous gross procedural violations, which led to a violation of the lawyer’s privilege, with the use of pressure and intimidation by the security forces, which lasted several hours. The security forces broke into the lawyers’ office, referring to a search warrant issued by the so-called Supreme Court of Crimea. The warrant was based on the assumption that some lawyers were allegedly involved in criminal offenses under Articles 205.5, 205.1 and 199 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (activities related to “terrorism” and tax evasion). However, the exact content of these suspicions remained unclear and vague. According to the lawyers who were present during the search, it was obvious that the security forces themselves, who numbered 10-12 people, could not clearly say what exactly they were looking for in the offices. They reviewed and confiscated lawyers’ materials, including those that are confidential and subject to attorney-client privilege, such as client contracts, attorney orders, files, etc. The lawyers who were in the premises during the search were restricted in their freedom and were forbidden to leave the office or make phone calls. The security forces refused to let lawyer Emil Kurbedinov into his workplace, and only a few hours later took him to another office, where the search was also taking place.

The search was targeted at the activities of lawyers well-known for their active human rights work in the Crimean Tatar community, in particular, Edem Semedlyaev, Elvina Semedlyaeva, Emil Kurbedinov, Rustem Kamilev, Lilya Gemedzhi and Nazim Sheykmambetov. Many of these lawyers have repeatedly been the target of persecution due to their professional activities: they were intimidated, searched, arbitrarily detained and arrested, and also unfoundedly brought to disciplinary responsibility or deprived of their lawyer licenses.

Such searches in the occupied Crimea are not the first time, which is a continuation of a systemic pressure on lawyers engaged in human rights protection and opposing the Russian occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied Crimea, regarding human rights violations against Crimean Tatars and other citizens persecuted for political reasons. This phenomenon has become part of Russia’s strategy of repression against political activists, human rights defenders and journalists. Over the 11 years of occupation of Crimea, at least 13 lawyers on the peninsula have been victims of harassment by the Russian occupation administration, which takes the form of arbitrary searches, arbitrary detentions, administrative arrests and administrative fines in politically motivated cases, deprivation of lawyer licenses, blocking of mobile communications, threats of criminal prosecution, etc. long-established practices of pressure, intimidation, detention and repression.

Ukrainian human rights organizations express their strong protest against the latest repressions carried out by Russian security forces in occupied Crimea. The persecution of lawyers in Crimea is not a random incident, but a gross violation of international standards. The occupying Russian authorities must immediately cease intimidation, persecution or any other forms of illegal pressure on lawyers and human rights defenders in temporarily occupied Crimea, guarantee the independence of lawyers’ activities and fully comply with international law and human rights standards.

The Russian Federation is obliged to implement the “Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers”, adopted by the VIII UN Congress on Crime Prevention (1990), which guarantee the possibility of unhindered exercise of their powers by lawyers “without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference” (principle 16 (a)).

Ukrainian human rights organisations are addressing international organisations and foreign governments with the following demands:

• Strongly condemn the repression of lawyers and jurists in the occupied Crimea and demand that the Russian occupation authorities stop the illegal use of pressure and persecution methods against them.

• Demand that the Russian Federation comply with the “Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers”, adopted by the VIII UN Congress on Crime Prevention (1990), which guarantee the freedom of legal practice.

• Introduce personal sanctions against persons responsible for gross human rights violations in the occupied Crimea, particularly against employees of the Central Prosecutor’s Office, the so-called “judges” and “investigators” who are engaged in political persecution of lawyers in the occupied Crimea.

• Provide support to lawyers, human rights defenders, activists and their families who are subjected to repression for their professional activities.

• Continue to monitor the human rights situation in occupied Crimea, document human rights violations and war crimes to help bring those responsible to justice.

Signed by:

Human Rights Center ZMINA

NGO CrimeaSOS

Center for Civil Liberties

Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU)

Human Rights Center Diya

Association of relatives of political prisoners of the Kremlin

Crimean Human Rights Group

CCE Almenda

Platform for the release of political prisoners

Human Rights House Crimea