Occupation authorities ban Tatars from holding events on deportation day

Regional Mejlises in Crimea are denied holding mourning events on the anniversary of deportation of the Crimean Tatars on May 18.

First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelial said this in a commentary to Crimea.Realities portal.

According to him, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People decided not to file applications for holding the centralized events on the day of commemoration of victims of deportation of the Crimean Tatar people.

As Dzhelial explained, the Mejlis does not see sense in such a request as “the result is known.”

“We recommended that our regional Mejlis should hold the events and submit the applications in some districts. In particular, the application for mourning activities was submitted in Sudak, but they were denied,” the Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars said.

“The same was in Krasnoperekopsk, but there our colleagues went on, they are planning to appeal against the refusal to hold a rally. No applications were filed in some places, people will simply gather and lay flowers to the monument to victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people,” Dzhelial said.

He informed that the regional authorities invited the representatives of the Mejlis to hold joint activities.

“They refuse in most cases, as the authorities, including local, have discredited themselves so much that people do not even want to spend this day with those who are constantly lying. Officially, the authorities want to carry out some activities, but neither I nor any of my colleagues are going to take part in them,” Dzelial said.

May 18 is the Day of Commemoration of Victims of Deportation of the Crimean Tatar People from Crimea. On this day in 1944, the first echelon with the Crimean Tatars was sent to the Central Asia from the peninsula. More than 180,000 people were deported.