Crimean Tatar activist starves in pretrial detention center demanding treatment

The defendant of “Vedjie Kashka case”, Crimean Tatar activist Asan Chapukh is being on a hunger strike for the fifth day, requesting the medical unit of the Simferopol SIZO to provide him with immediate medical assistance. This information was confirmed by Chapukha’s lawyer Ayder Azamatov after visiting his client in the detention facility.

“He informed the superiors of the SIZO about the hunger strike. His main requirement for the medical unit is to at least start providing him the medical treatment. Chapukha has a terrible condition: high blood pressure, constant headaches, left leg and hand do not work – everything is numb, “said Azamatov.

Chapukh told the lawyer, that he has not been getting any assistance from the medical unit of the SIZO during all this time.

“He said that he had not been treated at all and the hunger strike was a forced measure. He stated that he would not stop it until they began to provide medical assistance. He gets some kind of pill from the medical unit and that is it. I am not a doctor, but I understand that the medical staff of the detention facility does not take any fundamental actions on treating his illness, ” – Azamatov explained.

According to the lawyer, Chapukh was taken to a civil hospital for examination, but he did not get the treatement there. The Russian investigator also attended the pre-trial detention center today, he promised to intervene in the situation and find out why Chapuha is not being provided with medical assistance.

“The investigator was on a search in Chapuha’s house, and sees that now he is a completely different person. He said that he will find out from the head of the pre-trial detention center why the defendant is not being treated, Azamatov added.

The lawyer reported that he had tried to dissuade Chapukh from the hunger strike, but he had not received a clear answer to his request. The detainee stated that he would “starve until he was cured.” Azamatov intends to file complaints to the Russian police and prosecutor’s office, as well as to the Russian ombudsman regarding the actions of the medical unit of the SIZO.

On the 23rd of November, 2017 in Simferopol, Russian officers detained a group of Crimean Tatars – Kazim Ametov, Asan Chapukh, Ruslan Trubach and Bekir DeGermendzhi. On September 11, the Kiev District Court of Simferopol extended the detention of four individuals in the “Vedzhie Kashka case” for two months.

They are suspected of extorting money from a Turkish citiizen Yusuf Aytan. After being detained by Russian law enforcement officers a veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement Vedjie Kashka became sick. Later the woman died.

An activist of the Crimean Tatar national movement Nariman Dzhelal claims that the Turkish citizen, in connection with whom a group of activists was detained, stole money from the Vedjie Kashka family.