Crimean paramedic Tamara Chernukha forcibly disappeared by FSB — rights group

This was reported by the Association for the Reintegration of Crimea.

According to the report, Tamara Chernukha was secretly detained by FSB officers on February 5 in Chornomorske, allegedly for “state treason.” Her exact whereabouts remain unknown.

"Since the relatives and colleagues of the missing woman did not know about the detention at the time, worried about the fate of the elderly woman, they called the “police” to check her place of residence, and right during such a “survey” the local “police” received a call from the “management” and ordered them to stop searching for the paramedic" the report says.

According to the report, after numerous appeals from Tamara Chernukha’s relatives to the so-called "prosecutor’s office," "police," and "FSB," they were given standard responses claiming that Chernukha was not being held in any detention center in Crimea and that no criminal case had been opened.

However, through her colleagues, the family received unofficial information that she is being held in pretrial detention, allegedly on charges of "state treason." This information was quietly shared by "police officers" with Chernukha’s neighbors and other villagers, and there is evidence confirming this.

"Tamara Chernukha has significant health problems, and in itself her stay in a “remand prison”, without giving her relatives the opportunity to give her any food and medicines, poses a significant threat to her life and health, and is a form of torture," the Association emphasizes.

The report also states that the repression against Tamara Chernukha bears all the signs of enforced disappearance and constitutes a grave violation of the IV Geneva Convention. Relevant reports have been submitted to various UN bodies, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Ukrainian Ombudsman. The case has also been repeatedly raised at events organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

"Despite repeated demands for immediate information about the whereabouts and condition of Tamara Chernukha, her enforced disappearance continues, which requires further active action from international organizations and human rights defenders," the Association emphasizes.