Free Lutfiye Zudieva: PEN Ukraine aligns itself with the statement of the Graty media

The Graty media issued a statement in response to the detention of journalist Lutfiye Zudieva in Crimea on July 27. The media demands her immediate release and halt to persecutions of journalists. PEN Ukraine aligns with the statement.

On July 27, Lutfiye Zudieva had to cover the court hearing in the Supreme Court of Crimea on the consideration against Nariman Celal, deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, and the Akhtemov brothers, accused of sabotage by the Russian authorities. Lutfiye was acting on behalf of the Graty media, yet she was detained.

Zudieva was not allowed to the courtroom and then detained. 12 more Crimean Tatars – friends and relatives of Celal and the Akhtemov brothers, who tried unsuccessfully to get to the open hearing – were detained together with her. Among the detained there was also Kulamet Ibrayimov, correspondent of the Graty media. During her detention, Zudieva showed her press card to the police officers and said that she was on an editorial task, which they ignored.

The journalist was brought to the Zaliznychnyi district police department where the officers threatened and tried to force her to be fingerprinted and provide saliva samples, which she absolutely refused. In the end, Zudieva was accused of "participation in the mass simultaneous stay of citizens in a public place near the Supreme Court of Crimea… for the purpose of subsequent media coverage." This proves that the police officers knew of her journalistic status.

Lutfiye Zudieva has been working with the Graty media since the moment of its establishment in 2019. She consistently writes about the persecutions of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea with expertise and compliance with journalistic standards. Zudieva has been covering the case of Nariman Celal and the Akhtemov brothers since the beginning of their criminal persecution. Today she was going to write about the end of this story.

The Graty media demands the immediate release of Lutfiye Zudieva and other Crimeans, illegally detained today at the building of the Supreme Court.

The Graty media appeals to Ukrainian and international journalistic associations and human rights organizations to speak out in defense of the detained journalist and express solidarity with the colleagues persecuted by Russian authorities in Crimea.

The text of the statement is available on the Graty media website.