Former leader of the Crimean Tatars, member of the Ukrainian Supreme Rada, Ukrainian president’s representative for Crimean-Tatar issues Mustafa Cemilev has been arrested in absentia and put on the Russian national wanted list, Cemilev’s lawyer Cemil Temishev reports.
According to Temishev, the verdict was announced by Kiev District Court of Simferopol. “Explaining their application [for arrest], the investigator and prosecutor said that Mustafa Cemilev is under probe on three charges of the Russian Criminal Code, that he was hiding from the investigation and the court and was capable of imposing pressure upon witnesses, destroy the evidence, he has citizenship of another country, has no permanent residence in Crimea,” explained Temishev without specifying what charges Cemilev is facing.
Over 20 years, Cemilev had been the head of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis. In April 14, he was prohibited to enter Crimea for five years. The current Mejlis leader Refat Chubarov was put on wanted list in May 2015.
