Maryam Kuku, Emir-Usein’s wife, describes him as a very diplomatic man, an attentive husband and a loving father.
“On the morning of February 11, 2016, we woke up to an extremely loud stomping”, says Maryem, “The people who came started banging on our door”. Bursting into the house, the attackers took Emir-Usein and conducted a thorough search of the house. There were in total 12 searches of Crimean Tatar families that day.
On November 12, 2019, Emir-Usein was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Russian court. His appeal was rejected during the retrial on July 25, 2020.
During his years of imprisonment, Emir-Usein's health has seriously deteriorated. He has problems with his liver, kidneys, bones and joints. “The prison conditions are inhumane”, says Maryem, calling them “completely unsanitary” and saying that there is “no medical care. Nobody pays attention to the prisoners’ complaints”.
It’s very cold in Salavat where Emir-Usein is being held, which is why he asked during his morning exercise period one day to be allowed to exercise indoors. For this he was placed in solitary confinement for 15 days.
Meryem Kuku is proud of her husband for neither colluding with the Russian security forces nor betraying his own conscience.
“I am very grateful that so many people in Ukraine are helping us through this situation. What is happening now in Crimea is an absolutely political framing. It is critical not to keep silent in this situation. This injustice can be overcome by the courage of people to tell the truth about what is happening”, Meryem Kuku says in her appeal to supporters.
