About 20 thousand Crimean Tatars left peninsula – Dzhemilev
About 20 thousand Crimean Tatars left the peninsula since the beginning of the Russian annexation.
As reported by Krym.Realiyi, this was stated by Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, during a telethon “Crimea. Three years of resistance”.
“About 20 thousand Crimean Tatars have already left Crimea. As they respond to our calls: “You can not guarantee that my son will not be killed tomorrow”. – We have nothing to answer”, – said Dzhemilev.
Dzhemilev also added that Russia uses another tactic in relation to Crimean Tatars – displacement beyond Crimea.
“Different conditions are created to drive out Crimean Tatars from the Crimea. Immediately after the occupation there were concerns that there will be a new deportation of the Crimean Tatars, there was a background for this. But it did not happen”, – added Dzhemilev.
As a reminder, since 2014 Russian government has consistently suppressed basic human rights and freedoms in the Crimea. Freedom of assembly, conscience and expression was practically destroyed on the peninsula. People of all views and fields of activity – journalists, anarchists, Muslims are sentenced to criminal cases, administrative arrests and fines, only for expression their opinion, for hanging a flag in the car, for criticizing the authorities, for attempt to hold a peaceful rally or assembly. Since 2014 Russian authorities are massively using the Article 20.3 of the Criminal Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (displaying fascist or nazi attributes and symbols, or attributes or symbols of extremist organizations) for political purposes.
Massive searches and detentions of the Crimean Tatars are conducted under the pretext of fighting extremism. People are arrested for publications on social network, which were posted several years ago, as well as for the support of those against whom the searches are conducted.
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has officially announced the February 20, 2014, as the beginning of the temporary occupation of the Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation. On October 7, 2015, Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, signed the corresponding law. Key international organizations, including the UN General Assembly, condemned Russia’s actions and called the occupation and annexation of Crimea as illegal. Economic sanctions were imposed against the Russian Federation. Russia denies the occupation of the peninsula and calls it a “restoration of historical justice”.
