Freedom's price: Nariman Dzhelyal's journey from prison to diplomacy
Nariman Dzhelyal, a former Kremlin prisoner, emphasises that freedom is the most important thing. Sentenced to 17 years on fabricated charges, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine in 2024.
Nariman Dzhelyal, a former Kremlin prisoner, experienced firsthand how valuable freedom is. Sentenced by a Russian court to 17 years in prison on fabricated charges, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine in 2024. As he highlighted in an interview with the Polish Press Agency, his activities for the rights of Ukrainian citizens and Crimean Tatars were a thorn in the side of the Russian authorities.
I experienced firsthand that nothing is more important than freedom - said the former political prisoner in an interview with PAP.
Since the beginning of the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, Dzhelyal openly opposed Russian aggression. As the vice-chairman of the Mejlis, the Tatar self-government, he actively worked to protect the rights of Crimean Tatars. His participation in the Crimea Platform summit in Kyiv in 2021 was unacceptable to Russia. After returning to Crimea in September of that year, he was arrested on charges of alleged sabotage of a gas pipeline.
Harsh prison experiences
Dzhelyal spoke about the harsh conditions in the Russian prison, where he experienced humiliation and beatings. Although he was not directly tortured, he saw other prisoners subjected to such practices. He emphasised that the injustice and brutality of the Russian prison system have a strong impact on the psychology of inmates.
Release and return to Ukraine
In June 2024, Dzhelyal was released as part of a prisoner exchange. He described how on 25th June, he was summoned to the prison warden in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where he was informed of the planned transfer. After several days of uncertainty, on 28th June, he was transported to Ukraine. At the border with Belarus, he regained his freedom and rejoined his family.
When the Ukrainian side received us, they told us to calm down. It happened at the border of Belarus with the Volyn region in western Ukraine, near Poland - recounted the political prisoner.
Dzhelyal stresses that freedom is not only a theoretical value for him but a practical goal in life. His experiences in a Russian prison only reinforced this conviction. Currently, as the future ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey, appointed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, Dzhelyal strives to keep the issue of Crimea and political prisoners prominent on the international agenda.
