Türkiye welcomes release of Crimean Tatar leader in prisoner swap

Türkiye has welcomed the release of Nariman Dzhelyal, deputy head of Crimean Tatar national assembly, or Mejlis, as part of a recent prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

"We greatly welcome the release of Nariman Dzhelyal, the Deputy Chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, as part of a prisoner exchange," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Dzhelyal was detained by Russian security forces in Crimea in September 2021 following his participation in the first summit of the Crimean Platform in August the same year, the ministry said, expressing its gratitude to all parties involved in this process.

"We expect further steps to be taken for the immediate release of our Crimean Tatar kinsmen who remain imprisoned, including Asan Ahmetov and Aziz Ahmetov," it added.

Türkiye stands ready to extend all kind of support to facilitate and expedite reaching this goal, it said.

10 civilians released

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that 10 people, all civilians, were handed back to Ukraine as part of an exchange of detainees after several years of captivity in Russia and its ally Belarus.

The chief of Mejlis, Refat Chubarov, and Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev embraced Dzhelyal after nearly three years of captivity.

Dzhelyal said many Ukrainians remain in captivity: “We cannot leave them there because the conditions, both psychological and physical, are very frightening there.”

Russian intelligence claimed that a sabotage operation was carried out in Akmescit (Simferopol) on August 23, 2021, and alleged that the operation was organised by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Intelligence and the Crimean Tatar Mejlis.