In the winter of 2024, a civilian woman who worked in a preschool in the temporarily occupied territories was forcibly taken out of her home. After that, her family did not know about her whereabouts for a long time.

A few days later, her relatives learned that the woman was being held in a detention center in the temporarily occupied territories. She was charged with allegedly trafficking explosives, which her family and relatives categorically deny. She was later transferred to another place of detention.

According to information from her lawyer, during her detention, the victim was allegedly allowed to correspond and receive parcels. However, the family doubts that all correspondence was received; the exact conditions and state of health of the woman remain unknown. The case is being considered in court - the hearings are ongoing, and there is no final verdict yet.

Relatives emphasize that there were no reasonable grounds for the arrest. They believe that such cases may be part of a wider practice of mass detention of civilians – including education workers – in temporarily occupied territories. This creates a climate of fear and pressure in communities.

Human rights organizations have documented numerous cases of forced displacement and detention of civilians without proper legal grounds. We call on responsible international institutions and states to strengthen pressure mechanisms to verify these practices and ensure the safety and return of civilians to their homes.

The story has been anonymized at the request of the family of the illegally detained person.

This documentation project is supported by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC). The views and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the NHC.

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