Freedom for Appaz Kurtamet

I was born on August 19, 2002 in the town of Novooleksiyivka in the Kherson region.

My childhood was spent listening to Crimean Tatar and Turkish songs, playing ball in the street, just like you. I grew up living my identity, language, and culture.

I came to Turkey, my second homeland, to receive my high school and university education. After completing my education, I returned to Ukraine. Before the war, I worked at an IT company and was also involved in volunteer activities.

In 2022, as the war intensified, I moved to Lviv with my mother, Ayşe Kurtamet. In May 2022, my mother went to Turkey to support my sister, who was about to give birth. I decided to visit our family home in Novooleksiyivka and informed my mother.

However, on July 23, 2022, while traveling to my hometown, I was captured by Russian occupation forces in the Kherson region.

For about two weeks, I could not contact anyone. I could neither call my family nor find out where I was. Even I did not know where I was being held. During this time, my name, my existence, and my life were completely uncertain.

Later, my family was pressured not to "make a fuss" about my abduction. But the truth could not be hidden. It was revealed that I was being held by occupation forces and taken to occupied Crimea. About three months after my abduction, in October 2022, a so-called court under Kremlin control in Crimea issued an arrest warrant for me.

My father, Halil Kurtamet, was also detained by Russian security forces on November 7, 2023. My mother, Ayşe Kurtamet, has been fighting resolutely for my freedom ever since. She appeals to international institutions and does not give up even when standing alone in squares. Because for a mother, staying silent means surrendering.