URGENT ACTION
JAILED CRIMEAN TATAR’S HEALTH STILL AT RISK
On 3 July a court in Russian - occupied Crimea rejected Edem Bekirov’s appeal to review his pre-trial detention. Crimean Tatar, Edem Bekirov, has been detained since December 2018 in conditions that are not suitable for his disability. He also continues to be denied the specialised medical care he urgently requires due to his numerous conditions, and that is not available in the detention centre.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Major General Vadim V. Bulgakov
Head of the Federal Penitentiary Service Directorate for Crimea
Ul. Gagarina 18-a
Simferopol
Crimea
Email: ufsin@krim.fsin.su / 19@krim.fsin.su

Dear Major General,

I am writing to express my concern regarding the worrying health situation of Edem Bekirov, who is currently held in the Simferopol SIZO since his detention on 12 December 2018. Edem Bekirov has a number of serious medical conditions, including diabetes, an open wound on his amputated leg, and heart problems after a heart attack, that require specialised and constant medical care that is not available in the detention centre. Moreover, he is held in conditions that are not suitable for a person with a disability, and as a result he is deprived of regular access to fresh air and proper access to sanitation. Despite this, on 3 July a court rejected Edem Bekirov’s appeal to review his pre-trial detention. 

On 19 June, Edem Bekirov was temporarily transferred to a hospital to be examined by a cardiologist and an endocrinologist. Edem Bekirov’s lawyer believes this was a way for Russia to comply with a decision by the European Court of Human Rights granting interim measures in favour of Edem Bekirov on account of his deteriorating health. Edem Bekirov's lawyer, who contacted the detention centre’s medics after his client was returned from the hospital, reported that he was not allowed to see the actual results of the examination. The lawyer also added that Edem Bekirov requires an examination by a neurologist, an orthopaedist, and a lung specialist to fully assess his health condition.

The conditions in which Edem Bekirov is kept, including non-provision of the medical care he requires, violate his human rights, put his life at risk and amount to inhuman and degrading treatment. 

I therefore call on you to: 
-	Urgently ensure that Edem Bekirov is provided with the medical care he requires, including in a hospital outside of the penitentiary system if this is not available to him in detention;
-	Ensure Edem Bekirov's lawyer is allowed to access the medical file to see the actual results of his client's examinations.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information

Edem Bekirov is a member of the ethnic Crimean Tatar minority in Ukraine. Part of his family still live in the Crimean Peninsula, which was occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014. On 12 December 2018, Edem Bekirov was visiting his mother and relatives in Crimea when he was detained by Russian security forces. Following his arrest, Edem Bekirov was subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, did not receive medical assistance or food or water for two days, and his right to a fair trial was violated. He has been accused of possession and transfer of explosives and ammunition. These charges are often reportedly used by Russian law enforcement officials to target individuals arbitrarily, particularly in the context of politically-motivated prosecution. Edem Bekirov maintains his innocence. 
Since the occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, Amnesty International has documented the systematic persecution of members of the Crimean Tatar community by Russian authorities (see for instance In the dark: The silencing of dissent). Edem Bekirov’s case has been publicly raised on several occasions by the European Union. On 11 June 2019, it was reported that the European Court of Human rights had granted interim measures in favour of Edem Bekirov, under Rule 39 of its Rules of Court, urging the Russian State to transfer him to a hospital due to his deteriorating health. Interim measures are granted on an exceptional basis to prevent serious and irreversible harm and although they are provided for only in the Rules of Court and not in the European Convention on Human Rights, States Parties are under an obligation to comply with them.
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English and Russian.
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 26 August 2019
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PREFFERED PRONOUN: Edem Bekirov (he/him)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur46/0470/2019/en/