Crimean Tatars Banned from Celebrating Flag Day

Crimean Tatar Flag

Crimean Tatars have been banned from celebrating their national Flag Day in downtown Simferopol. Dilyaver Akiyev, Head of the Council of Medjlis, reported this on Wednesday [18 June].

According to him, on 26 June the Crimean Tatars had planned to hold a number of public cultural  events, with kids’ contests and exhibitions. They filed relevant applications with City Hall. However the authorities refused the applications, alleging that the Tatars will prevent tourists from relaxing. Instead, the occupation authorities proposed that the Tatars hold the festival in another park, located in the outskirts of Simferopol. The Majlis turned down this option; and the Tatars will file another application to hold the event on Simferopol’s central square.

As reported earlier, in May the Crimean Tatars were banned from commemorating their Day of  Mourning on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Tatar deportation from Crimea.

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Meijlis concerned about people disappearing in Crimea, asking assistance from international human rights advocates

The Meijlis of the Crimean Tatar people have appealed to a number of international organizations in connection with frequent cases of people going missing on the peninsula.

In particular, an appeal titled ‘Prevention of cases of abduction and disappearances in Crimea’, adopted at a meeting of the Meijlis, has been sent to the United Nations Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as a number of international human rights organizations.

According to the appeal, in recent months Crimean society has faced a very dangerous phenomenon previously uncharacteristic of Crimea—kidnapping. The Meijlis cite the example of Reshat Ametov’s kidnapping in early March. Ametov, the father of three young children, was later found brutally tortured.

Dzhemilev: Ukraine gave us freedom, we will not get used to Putin’s regime

The leader of the Crimean-Tatar people, member of the Ukrainian Parliament Mustafa Dzhemilev expressed his hope that the statement made by the new President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko regarding the return of Crimea to Ukraine becomes reality. However he assured that the Crimean Tatars would not resort to violence over their unwillingness to live on the peninsula annexed by Russia. Mustafa Dzhemilev also stated that currently the Crimean Tatars have lost their most important achievement under Russian occupation – freedom. 

Crimean Tatar Battalion To Join National Guard

Soon a new battalion called “Crimea”, consisting of Crimean Tatars, will join the National Guard.

Crimean Tatar people are ready to play a role in freeing Ukraine from the terrorists that receive orders from Russia, activist Oleksiy Arestovych announced via his Facebook page. “The Crimean Tatar People battalion “Crimea” will soon join other Ukrainian volunteer battalions,” he states.

At the same time Arestovych quotes one of the leaders of the forming organization. “First, we will free the East of Ukraine together with Ukrainians, and after that we will take back Crimea,” says one of the Crimean Tatars.

Also, Oleksiy Arestovych tells about the arising spirit of patriotism among the Crimean Tatar People, and asserts that “for 23 years Crimean Tatars held a pro-Ukrainian political stance. They are a great nation. Judging by the movie “Haytarma” [a recently released film depicting the deportation of the Crimean Tatars], the culture of these people is entering its prime.”

Finally, Oleksiy said that, according to his forecast, “technical and cultural progress of the future Ukraine is directly connected to the nationwide rebirth of the Crimean Tatar culture. Their readiness to join the fight for Ukraine’s independence is the best proof of that.”

http://uapress.info/ru/news/show/26802

Solidarity Prize awarded to Mustafa Dzhemilev

Mustafa Dzhemilev announced that he will give €100,000 out of the €1 million award he received with the Polish Solidarity Prize to the bereaved families of Heaven’s Hundred and the families of the soldiers killed during the anti-terrorist operation in Eastern Ukraine, reports Ukrinform.

“The only caveat is that, as it turns out, the award may not be spent for humanitarian purposes. However, on that issue I was able to persuade them to allow me to allocate at least €100,000 to provide assistance to the families of Heaven’s Hundred, who died on Maidan for our sake, and to the families of those who died during the anti-terrorist operation. They [the Polish] didn’t have heart to say ‘No, it is not allowed’,” says the former head Mejli.

Crimean Tatars in resettlement areas after being deported in 1944

Seventy years have passed since all of the Crimean Tatar people were forcibly deported from their homeland on the decision of the Stalin’s regime. Detention of the Crimean Tatar people in the places of exile continued until November 1989. During this time the Crimean Tatars have suffered widespread repression by the Soviet regime. This resulted in mass deaths among Crimean Tatars, the majority of whom were elderly people, women and children. Within the first years of exile alone, the Crimean Tatars lost 46.2% of their population.

An eloquent illustration of these misfortunes can be found in the memoirs of those who survived, and in the few photographs carefully preserved by the deported families.

Feride Medzhytova

“I was born in 1932 in the village of Koz, Sudak District. When I had finished three grades, the war began. I never got the chance to continue my schooling.

“When the deportation began, our father was not with us; he was on the front. Our mum and the six of us kids were thrown out of the house by the soldiers.

Crimean Tatar leader receives Polish “Solidarity” prize

Mustafa Dzhemilev

The leader of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev received the Polish “Solidarity” prize on Tuesday, June 3, in Warsaw for his role in defending democracy and human rights, reports Radio Svoboda.

The award was presented to the laureate by the President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski and the former Polish President Lech Walesa in the presence of dozens of leaders of other countries, who came to the Polish capital to mark the event.

Russian helicopters interfere with Crimean Tatar commemoration

In Bakhchisaray, during an assembly on Lenin square commemorating the 70th anniversary of Stalin’s deportation of the Crimean Tatars, two military helicopters began to circle the assembled gathering and continued to fly low during the entire somber event, interfering with speeches, reports tyzhden.ua, May 18.

Thousands of Crimean Tatars Mark 70th Anniversary of Deportation

Paul Goble, originally on Window on Eurasia

Rally in Simferopol. Photo via Крим SOS facebook page

Staunton, May 18 – Despite a ban on any demonstrations by the Russian occupation authorities and a decision by the Milli Mejlis not to hold a mass commemoration lest it become the occasion for a Russian provocation, thousands of Crimean Tatars have assembled in their homeland today to mark the 70th anniversary of their deportation by Stalin.

Russians conduct mass searches of Crimean Tatar homes

Ali Khamzin

Mass searches are being conducted in Crimea in the homes of the Crimean Tatars, the Majilis press secretary Ali Khamzin stated in Kyiv on May 15, as reported by TV Channel 5. He made his statement during the Round Table “Deported Crimea,” organized by the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory to mark the 70th anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars by the Stalin regime.