Detention: Zarema was detained on January 27, 2018, in the town of Stary Krym on the occupied peninsula during a raid by security forces at her family's home and the unlawful detention of her son, Crimean Tatar activist Geray Kulametov.

Sentence: On April 23, 2018, the Russian-controlled 'Kirovsky District Court' found Zarema Kulametova 'guilty' under Article 319 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code ('insulting a government official') and sentenced her to 250 hours of community service, as well as a fine and civil damages for alleged moral harm to a police officer. On June 21, 2018, the occupation appellate court upheld this sentence.

Zarema Kulametova is a Crimean Tatar civic activist residing in Stary Krym (AR Crimea, Ukraine). Raised in a family tradition of respecting her people's rights, she is the wife of renowned Crimean Tatar activist Zekkiya Kulametov and the mother of Geray Kulametov.

Since the beginning of the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Kulametov family has consistently supported their compatriots, participating in peaceful civic initiatives and resistance against the occupation's pressure.

The persecution of Zarema Kulametova by the occupation forces began on January 27, 2018. On that day, Russian security forces conducted an unlawful search of her family's home in Stary Krym, followed by the detention of her son Geray Kulametov. In response to the emotional and psychological pressure, the forceful entry into her home, and the arbitrariness of the security forces, Zarema protested against the actions of the occupation 'police'. The occupation authorities classified her emotional reaction and demand for human rights compliance as 'insulting a government official'.

On February 24, 2018, security forces officially charged Zarema Kulametova under Article 319 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code. The persecution of this Crimean Tatar woman attracted significant attention from human rights organizations, which viewed the case as a widely used tool by the occupiers to intimidate the families of activists and members of 'Crimean Solidarity'.

On April 23, 2018, the occupation 'Kirovsky District Court' sentenced her to 250 hours of community service and a monetary penalty. Despite appeals, on June 21, 2018, the higher 'court' upheld the sentence. Activists from the 'Crimean Solidarity' movement and the public collected funds to pay her fine in small coins of 10 rubles as part of the traditional Crimean Tatar solidarity action 'Crimean Marathon'.

The systematic pressure on Zarema Kulametova's family did not cease: on September 4, 2018, occupation security forces conducted another search at her home in Stary Krym. Despite ongoing searches, legal persecution, and administrative-criminal pressure, Zarema Kulametova remains in Crimea and continues to support the families of Ukrainian political prisoners on the peninsula.

Information sourced from open sources: Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Human Rights Center ZMINA, QIRIM.News Information Agency, CrimeaSOS, Krym.Realii, Ukrinform.

Photo: Krym.Realii.

Last updated: 03.09.2026.