Russia adds Eurovision-winning Ukrainian singer Jamala to wanted list

Susana Jamaladinova won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest; her protest song titled "1944" focused on the deportation and ethnic cleansing of approximately 200 thousand Crimean Tatars by Soviet authorities in May 1944.

Jamala, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 for Ukraine, was included on Russia's wanted list for standing against oppressive actions. This decision appears to be part of Moscow's recent efforts to target cultural and influential figures who criticize Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The 40-year-old singer Jamala is known for criticizing Russia's 2022 attack on Ukraine.

Jamala was targeted as part of Moscow's effort to silence activists and influential figures who raise their voices against the Russian government. The number of well-known names currently added to the wanted list is over 30.

Russian news site Mediazone reported that the singer is accused by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of spreading misleading information regarding the activities of the Russian army.

Jamala is being charged under a law passed last year that prohibits the dissemination of misleading information regarding the Russian army and the conflict in Ukraine. A Russian court issued an in absentia arrest warrant for the singer earlier this month.

Jamala, who is currently on a fundraising and awareness tour in Australia, expressed her reaction to the news by sharing an Instagram story outside the Sydney Opera House.

However, it is reported that the in absentia arrest warrant is largely symbolic for the singer, who lives in Ukraine and would only be detained if she were to enter Russia.

Since winning Eurovision in 2016, Jamala has become one of the leading advocates for her own Tatar people, who are native to the Crimean Peninsula but were exiled many times while the region was part of the Soviet Union.

News Source: 12punto