The European Union expects all 23 Crimean Tatars detained under a ruling of a court in the Crimean peninsula illegally annexed by Russia to be released without delay to ensure that human rights can be exercised by all in the peninsula, according to a statement of by the spokesperson of the European Union External Action Service spread on Saturday in Brussels.

A court in the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed from Ukraine by Russia, has ruled that all 23 Crimean Tatars detained on 27 March and 28 March will be held in pre-trial detention until 15 May. They are accused of belonging to the organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia but not in Ukraine.

The spokesperson said that "the European Union does not recognise the enforcement of Russian legislation in Crimea and Sevastopol and expects all illegally detained Ukrainians to be released without delay."

"Such acts corroborate the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which states that "Crimean Tatars continue to be disproportionately affected by police raids and prosecuted under terrorism and extremism-related offences in proceedings falling short of human rights standards." The European Union expects the Russian Federation to end these practices and to take all necessary steps to ensure that human rights and fundamental freedoms can be exercised by all in Crimea, without discrimination on any grounds," the spokesperson said.