Week-ending 15 May 2020
Russian Court Rejects Crimean Blogger’s Appeal
A Russian military court has rejected an appeal by Crimean Tatar blogger Nariman Memedeminov to overturn his conviction on charges of inciting extremism, leaving him to serve the rest of his sentence in prison. The May 14 decision comes as Russia is accused of stepping up pressure on bloggers and independent media critical of the Kremlin’s policies. Rights groups and Western governments have also denounced what they call a campaign of oppression targeting members of the Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar minority and others who opposed Moscow’s seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula in March 2014. RFE/RL, 14 May 2020
Russian court to hear appeal of Crimean journalist Nariman Memedeminov
Russian authorities should not contest the appeal of Crimean journalist Nariman Memedeminov, ensure his safe return to Crimea, and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A military appeals court in the Russian city of Vlasikha is scheduled to hear the journalist’s appeal tomorrow, according to a report by the Crimean Service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. CPI, 13 May 2020
