Detention: On the morning of May 7, 2015, on his way to work, Mustafa Degermendzhi's car was blocked by eight armed men in black masks. His mother, Aliye Degermendzhi, who was in the car, described the morning: “Eight armed men in black masks, with handcuffs and guns, jumped out. They dragged my son out of the car. I ran out, shouting: 'What are you doing?'. They beat him on the knees with a stick, pressed his face against the hood, and began to search him.” Mustafa and several other Crimean Tatars were accused of participating in alleged mass riots near the Crimean Supreme Council on February 26, 2014 — the 'February 26 case'.

Sentence: Mustafa was held in Simferopol pre-trial detention centre for two years, where conditions, according to relatives, did not meet any standards. On April 6, 2017, he was placed under house arrest, with an electronic bracelet on his leg tracking all movements within a limited radius, not even covering the entire yard. He was prohibited from talking on the phone, using the internet, and receiving more than a few guests. In June 2018, the court sentenced Mustafa Degermendzhi to 4 years and 6 months of suspended imprisonment with a three-year probation period. After completing the probation period, he is released.

Mustafa Bekirovych Degermendzhi was born on May 22, 1989, in Sudak. As a child, he showed remarkable abilities: he learned to read and write very early, and at the age of four, he dreamed of becoming the head of the village council. For excellent studies in the third grade, he was invited to Kyiv for the presidential Christmas tree. Of the 13 hryvnias allocated for pocket money, he brought 11 home, as the family needed them more. After school, he trained as a hotel and tourism business manager and worked as a sales representative. Always calm, reserved, and distant from politics.

On February 26, 2014, Mustafa attended a rally in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity with his father Bekir. Bekir, who suffers from asthma, became unwell in the crowd, and Mustafa barely managed to get him out before the crush began. This presence at the peaceful rally became the basis for criminal prosecution.

During the investigation, Mustafa was offered freedom in exchange for testimony against Akhtem Chiygoz, whom the investigation considered the organizer of the alleged 'mass riots'. Mustafa refused. His father Bekir commented: “First, they offered him to testify against someone, then they moved to another — to confess guilt. Firstly, I do not agree with this. What guilt can there be if there is no guilt? Participation in a rally, I do not consider a crime, and my son thinks the same.”

The Degermendzhi family was persecuted from several sides simultaneously. Six months after Mustafa was placed under house arrest, his father Bekir was arrested on fabricated extortion charges. The family and lawyers believe that the father's arrest was retaliation for his active human rights position and speeches in the media and international organizations in defense of his son. Thus, the occupying authorities simultaneously persecuted both father and son from one Crimean Tatar family.

Information used from open sources: Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Krym.Realii, CrimeaSOS, Ukrainska Pravda, ZMINA.

Photo: ZMINA.

Update date: 03.07.2026.