Occupation authorities violate at least 18 articles of U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Crimea — KrymSOS

For nearly 12 years since occupying Crimea, Russia has systematically persecuted Crimean Tatars, viewing the peninsula’s indigenous people as a threat to its occupation policies, Sabina Ilyas, co-coordinator of the NGO CrimeaSOS, stated during an event in New York dedicated to the consequences of the 11-year Russian occupation of Ukraine. According to Ilyas, the Russian Federation violated at least 18 articles of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Violations range from forced assimilation and displacement to the destruction of cultural heritage, media censorship, and the obstruction of Crimean Tatar representative bodies, particularly the Mejlis.

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She pointed out that since February 2022, the criminal persecution of women in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has surged, with occupying authorities increasingly portraying them as terrorists. The most recent instance involves the detention of four Crimean Tatar women accused of alleged involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organization banned in Russia. However, it operates legally in all territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as well as in many other countries. Russia, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, applies its own criminal legislation to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The human rights advocate emphasized that at least 133 of the more than 222 victims of politically motivated persecution in temporarily occupied Crimea are Crimean Tatars. At least 50 illegal searches are recorded annually, with up to 75% targeting Crimean Tatar homes.

Occupation forces conduct mass detentions in mosques following Friday prayers, as well as outside courthouses where people gather to support those being persecuted.