A Crimean woman kidnapped last year sentenced to 15 years in prison

The “Supreme Court of Crimea” has announced a verdict in yet another case of alleged state treason. No information about the defendant appears on the court’s official website, but according to “Crimean Process,” the case concerns Lera Dzhemilova, a resident of Dzhankoi district, who was abducted in May of last year and held in complete isolation for more than ten months without the right to legal assistance. In March 2025, she was charged with “state treason” for allegedly passing information about air defense facilities to Ukrainian intelligence.

The entire trial was held behind closed doors. However, “Crimean Process” learned that during the debates the state prosecutor demanded a guilty verdict with an 18-year prison sentence. After two days of deliberations, the court handed down a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, followed by one and a half years of restricted freedom and a fine of 100,000 rubles.

Experts point to obvious violations in this case, including the closed nature of the trial, late notification of the date and place of hearings, and signs of bias and dependence of the court. The decision was issued by Judge Alla Khinevich, who herself was sentenced by a Ukrainian court to 14 years in prison for state treason. For this reason, the impartiality of the court in cases involving individuals accused of working with Ukrainian intelligence raises serious doubts. Additionally, the speed of the proceedings is striking—the court held three sessions and then, on the fourth, withdrew for deliberation.

This article is the property of the Crimean Process. Read the news in Russian on its website.