You can't reason with a Kremlin monster through words.

Last week, the UN General Assembly once again adopted the resolution "Situation of Human Rights in the Temporarily Occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, Ukraine." This positive news seems to provide hope that the human rights situation on the peninsula will normalize in the foreseeable future. However, it does not inspire hope, and here’s why.

A few days before the adoption of this resolution, Putin's regime committed yet another act of inhumanity. According to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, blind Crimean political prisoner Oleksandr Sizikov was transferred from Simferopol pre-trial detention center to Krasnodar in Russia, where access for his lawyers will be significantly restricted.

This case should not go unnoticed by human rights defenders and international organizations, as Sizikov is a Group I disabled person who requires special conditions for detention. The occupying authorities in Crimea refused to release him, despite the justified demands of his defense.

Let me remind you that Oleksandr Sizikov was sentenced to 17 years in prison by a Russian "court," although his only "crime" was protesting against the persecution of residents of the peninsula for religious reasons. Such prison terms are not even handed down to repeat offenders in Putin's regime, which has seen an increase in violent criminals.

The convoying of a blind individual to a foreign brutal country once again highlights the threats faced by Crimeans after the annexation of the peninsula by Russia, especially Crimean Tatars. The occupiers harbor prejudice against the indigenous people of the peninsula not only due to their unique identity but also because of their steadfast political stance, which involves refusing to recognize the annexation and resisting any attempts at assimilation.

The Kremlin's habitual denizens, emboldened by impunity, do not like this. Immediately after the illegal annexation of Crimea to Russia, targeted repression against representatives of the Crimean Tatar people began. Crimean Tatar organizations, including the Mejlis, which was an important political body for Crimean Tatars, were shut down on the peninsula. In 2016, the occupiers labeled the Mejlis as an extremist organization, leading to arrests and persecution of its members.

Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev noted in one of his interviews: "We can no longer gather freely and defend our rights. We find ourselves in a legal vacuum, under total control and pressure."

Since 2014, tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars and public activists of other nationalities have fallen victim to political repression. Countless instances of arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and unlawful accusations of terrorism and extremism have become part of everyday reality for residents of Crimea. It is known that many representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, including ordinary citizens fighting for their rights, have been accused of organizing "illegal protests" or of having connections with banned religious organizations in Russia, such as "Hizb ut-Tahrir." For the occupying authorities, this has been a convenient way to eliminate individuals whose political stance and attachment to their culture obstruct their assimilation plans.

It is worth noting that in Ukraine, "Hizb ut-Tahrir," despite its specific nature, is not a banned organization. It operates legally within the country, although authorities are keen to monitor its activities closely. There is nothing wrong with this: in recent years, Ukraine has tightened control over the activities of religious organizations, and "Hizb ut-Tahrir" is just one of those that receive heightened scrutiny.

Furthermore, the global perception of this religious organization varies. Besides Putin's Russia, it is banned in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and other countries far from democracy. At the same time, it is able to operate normally in the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, and several other countries.

To assess the situation, it is important to know the stance of human rights defenders on this issue. For instance, the international organization Human Rights Watch has repeatedly stated that members of "Hizb ut-Tahrir" should not face persecution solely for their political views. The organization emphasizes that human rights must be respected even for those who express radical ideas, provided those ideas do not lead to violence.

However, the Putin regime cannot come to terms with the fact that in democratic countries "Hizb ut-Tahrir" operates legally, and on this basis, the Kremlin continually accuses Ukraine of supporting extremist groups. Such a stance can only be described as political speculation.

By turning all of this into a pretext for eliminating political opponents, the occupying regime has crossed a line beyond which it is hard to call it humane. International organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have repeatedly reported instances of violent abductions of Crimean Tatars and torture in Russian prisons, yet the Russian side denies these accusations and justifies the actions of its security forces as necessary for fighting extremism. In modern Russia, the criminal statute on extremism encompasses anything that contradicts the hateful policies of Putin and his associates.

But, of course, if anyone should be considered offenders in this context, it is the various sadists of the Putin regime. Only inhumane individuals, for example, can deny political prisoners medical assistance. In Russian prisons and colonies in occupied Crimea, this has become an unspoken norm.

One such case involves Crimean Tatar Ramazan Daudov. He was arrested for participating in peaceful protests and suffered from severe illnesses for a long time, including cardiovascular issues. Instead of providing proper treatment for the ailing individual, the Russian authorities systematically ignored his requests for medical assistance and created unbearable conditions in prison. Ultimately, all of this led to a sharp deterioration in the man's condition and a threat to his life.

Recent research by human rights defenders also indicates that many prisoners, especially Crimean Tatars, face abuse and contempt from the "medical" staff of Russian prisons and colonies. It has long been known that criminal legislation in Russia is applied selectively. But to turn medical assistance into a tool for pressuring undesirable prisoners is something that could only come to the minds of those who have lost all moral compasses. For accuracy, it should be noted that the inhumanity of prison medics in Russia is encouraged and even imposed from "above."

Of course, it cannot be said that the international community is unresponsive to these manifestations of barbarism and hatred. In 2022, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed deep concern over the human rights situation in Crimea, including the persecution of Crimean Tatars. "Repression against Crimean Tatars continues. We are receiving reports of unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances, and brutal torture, as well as forced disappearances of Crimean Tatar leaders. Russia must immediately cease these human rights violations," the human rights defender stated.

Similar statements have been made repeatedly in recent years by the UN, the European Union, and international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. However, unfortunately, nothing changes in practice. This must be honestly acknowledged rather than pretending that verbal resolutions can persuade the Putinists.

The situation regarding the human rights of pro-Ukrainian activists in Crimea has reached a point where it can be sadly stated: the international community, despite its declarations of support for the rights of Crimean Tatars, has been unable to propose effective measures to stop the repression. The sanctions imposed against Russia after the annexation of Crimea have proven ineffective. Numerous countries condemn the actions of the Kremlin but do not take decisive steps to protect specific representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, as well as many other political prisoners of the Kremlin.

Therefore, I must honestly say that I cannot regard the aforementioned UN General Assembly resolution as a real step towards preventing human rights violations against Crimean Tatars and other political prisoners of Putin. For the main Kremlin bandit and his accomplices to cease their inhumane practices, more decisive and effective measures must be applied against them.