KYIV, Ukraine

A Russian court on Thursday extended the pre-trial detention period of Nariman Dzhelial, the deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, until Jan. 23.

The court in Akmescit (Simferopol) made the decision upon the request of Russian security forces, according to a statement by the Crimean Solidarity Platform on Facebook.

“This is a predictable decision of so-called ‘Kyiv District Court of Simferopol’ to extend detention of Nariman Dzhelial, brothers Asan & Aziz Akhtemov until January 23, 2022,” Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar said on Twitter. “Russia must release all illegally detained & convicted citizens of Ukraine in temporarily occupied #Crimea.”.

Russian security forces detained five Crimean Tatar Turks, including Nariman Dzhelial on Sept. 4. She is accused of “sabotage.”​​​​​​

* Writing by Gozde Bayar