Remzi Bekirov

RemziBekirov

Detained Since: March 28, 2019.

Charges: Organizing terrorist operations (Article 205.5).

Sentence: 19 years in prison.

Biography: Remzi Bekirov (also spelled Remzy) is a citizen journalist for the Crimean Solidarity project and a correspondent for Grani.ru. A resident of Simferopol, Bekirov took to journalism after the annexation, reporting on human rights violations and covering "Vedzhie Kashka" and "Hizb ut-Tahrir" cases. He was detained twice in 2017 for his coverage. In 2019, he was arrested by Russian security service agents while in Aksay in the Rostov region of Russia. He was charged with organizing terrorist operations and sentenced to 19 years in prison. He remains in pre-trial detention as his case is undergoing an appeal process.

Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor wrote a letter of support to Bekirov. The European Federation of Journalists has also offered international support for Bekirov.

Advocacy Partner: PEN America

Past Advocate: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ, Ret.)

Updates:

  • Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) released a statement on March 18, 2023, calling for the release of all 14 Crimean Journalists in the Defending Freedoms Project, including Bekirov (March 18, 2023, Senate Foreign Relations Committee).

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

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