Detention: After the occupation of Crimea in 2014, Riza Shevkiev became a target of politically motivated persecution by the Russian Federation. The Russian prosecutor's office issued him an official "warning about the inadmissibility of extremist activities," which human rights defenders view as a tool to pressure one of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar national movement.

Sentence: Due to ongoing persecution, Shevkiev was forced to leave occupied Crimea and could not even attend his parents' funerals. The Russian occupation authorities continue to exert political pressure on him due to his activities in the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.

Riza Shevkiev was born on July 10, 1954, in Samarkand (Uzbek SSR). He is a Ukrainian Crimean Tatar public and political figure, philanthropist, long-time member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, and general director of the charitable organization "Crimea Fund."

Riza Shevkiev openly opposed the illegal "referendum" and annexation of the peninsula, consistently defending Ukraine's territorial integrity. In April 2014, at a session of the Kurultai, he stated that the Crimean Tatar people could not support Crimea's incorporation into Russia, as it contradicts the long-standing political stance of the Mejlis.

One of the most notable episodes of his activity was the struggle to preserve the Ukrainian flag over the Mejlis building in Simferopol after the occupation began. Despite numerous demands from Russian security forces and representatives of the so-called "Crimean self-defense" to remove the flag, Shevkiev categorically refused to do so. When pro-Russian activists forcibly removed the Ukrainian flag and replaced it with the flag of the occupation administration, on his instructions, Mejlis staff restored the Ukrainian flag. This episode became a symbol of the peaceful resistance of the Crimean Tatars to the Russian occupation.
After the Mejlis was banned and repression intensified, Riza Shevkiev left occupied Crimea. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, due to criminal prosecution, he could not return even to bid farewell to his parents. Human rights defenders emphasize that the persecution of Shevkiev is part of Russia's systematic policy to suppress the activities of representative bodies of the Crimean Tatar people.

Despite being forced to stay outside Crimea, Shevkiev continues to work as a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and participates in international activities aimed at protecting the rights of Crimean Tatars and the de-occupation of Crimea.

As of July 30, 2026, Riza Shevkiev continues his activities as a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and remains a person subject to politically motivated persecution by the Russian Federation.

Information used from open sources: Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Krym.Realii, Suspilne Crimea.

Photo: Krym.Realii.

Date updated: 30.07.2026.