Russian court jails Crimean Tatar leader

By Ali Cura

KIEV, Ukraine

A Crimean Tatar politician was jailed for two years on Wednesday after being convicted by a Russian court on charges of “separatism”.

Ulmi Umerov, deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis -- a representative body -- was also banned for two years from public activities, according to his lawyer, Nikolay Polozov.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the verdict was "shameful".

He also described Umerov as "a courageous hero of his people, who faced Moscow's worst methods of the Soviet repressive machine, including punitive psychiatry and settlement colonies".

Poroshenko also called for more pressure on Russia to stop the "persecution" of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea, annexed in 2014.

Umerov’s legal team is expected to appeal the verdict.

Ukraine has been wracked by conflict in its eastern regions since March 2014 after Russia’s occupation of Crimea.

The fighting with pro-Russian separatists in eastern breakaway regions has led to more than 10,000 deaths, according to the UN.

*Diyar Guldogan in Ankara contributed to this report.