Young Crimean Tatar sentenced to 7 years by Russian proxies, accused of giving $12 to volunteer battalion

A Russian-controlled court in occupied Crimea sentenced a Crimean Tatar to seven years in prison for allegedly transferring Hr 500 ($12) to a Ukrainian volunteer battalion also called Crimea, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

According to Lubinets, the accused, 21-year-old Appaz Kurtamet, lent the money to a friend, who joined the battalion.

Kurtamet's lawyer intends to appeal.

According to the ombudsman, Russian enforcers arrested Kurtamet on July 23 as he was heading to his relatives living in the occupied peninsula.

The trial began in February, with prosecution demanding a 10-year sentence.

The head of the Crimean Tatars' highest executive authority, Refat Chubarov, said that the sentencing in the case exposes the occupiers' impunity.

Russian forces and occupation authorities have regularly persecuted the Crimean Tatars since Crimea was occupied in 2014.

The persecution often takes the form of lengthy prison sentences for trumped-up charges.