Zelensky Appoints Crimean Tatar Leader as Ambassador to Turkey

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced late Friday the appointment of a Crimean Tatar political figure, who was imprisoned in Russia for nearly three years, as ambassador to Turkey.

In his daily evening address, Zelensky said he approved the decision to send “Nariman Dzhelyal to Turkey” as ambassador.

Dzhelyal, a 44-year-old former journalist and leader of the Muslim minority in Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow, was released earlier this year in a prisoner exchange involving civilians.

He serves as the deputy head of the “Mejlis,” a national council for Crimean Tatars, banned by Russia after its annexation of the peninsula in 2014.

Some Crimean Tatars opposed the annexation, leading to the imprisonment of many. Dzhelyal was detained in September 2021 and sentenced in 2022 to 17 years in prison after being convicted of terrorism. He was accused of planning to blow up a gas pipeline near the regional capital Simferopol, a charge denied by him and other activists.

Amnesty International labeled Dzhelyal a political prisoner, calling his conviction “another blow to human rights” in Crimea. He was released in June, reuniting with his family in Kyiv, according to AFP.

Other prominent Crimean Tatar figures include Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Eurovision Song Contest winner Jamala.