In Kyiv, representatives from diplomatic missions sent letters to political prisoners in Crimea.

In Kyiv, representatives of the EU in Ukraine, along with the embassies of Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom participated in an initiative to write letters to Crimean political prisoners, expressing support for the victims of the occupation who have been unlawfully imprisoned by Russia.

This was reported on February 26 on the Facebook page of the Czech Embassy in Ukraine.

The event was dedicated to the Day of Resistance to the Russian Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol, which is observed on this date.

Over the past 11 years, the occupiers have unlawfully imprisoned 218 Crimean political prisoners based on fabricated charges, including 132 Crimean Tatars.

“The situation in the occupied territories is characterized by constant and systematic violations of fundamental human rights, persecution, detentions, abductions, and torture of activists, independent journalists, and repression against civil society as a whole,” the statement reads.

The Czech Republic consistently calls for the release of all prisoners detained or convicted for politically motivated reasons.

“We fully support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and do not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and other occupied territories,” the Czech embassy emphasized.

It is worth noting that the “Letters to Free Crimea” initiative, which allows people to write to Kremlin prisoners, launched in February 2024, just ahead of three somber anniversaries in Ukraine’s history: the 10th anniversary of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion, and the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea.

The human rights initiative is organized by the Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukrainian PEN, the ZMINA Human Rights Center, and the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine. They have called for letters to be sent to Kremlin prisoners, as they are imprisoned for their pro-Ukrainian stance, active resistance to the Russian occupation, and the fight for a free Crimea. Often, affected citizens of Ukraine are held in inhumane conditions, where they are even denied medical assistance, leading to deaths.

Earlier, ZMINA reported that the “Letters to Free Crimea” initiative will continue until the de-occupation of the peninsula and the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners.