Latest news with #CrimeanTatar
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Legendary dissident Ayşe Seitmuratova dies in Crimea
Ayşe Seitmuratova, a veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement, has died in occupied Crimea at the age of 88. Source: Head of Crimean Tatar Mejlis Refat Chubarov on Facebook Quote: "Again, sad news has come in from Russian-occupied Crimea which I do not want to believe – the legendary dissident, political prisoner during the Soviet era, journalist, historian and veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement Ayşe Seitmuratova has died at the age of 88." For reference: Ayşe Seitmuratova was a Crimean Tatar public figure, human rights activist, member of the national movement of Crimean Tatars, political prisoner of the Soviet regime, journalist and publicist in exile. In 1964 she joined the Crimean Tatar national movement in Samarkand Oblast in modern Uzbekistan. She participated in meetings with representatives of the Soviet government, in particular in the Central Committee of the CPSU. In 1966, she was arrested on charges of "inciting national hatred" and put on probation for three years. In 1971, she was again arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for "spreading deliberately false ideas that defame the Soviet state and public order." She served her sentence in Mordovian camps. After her release in 1974, she continued her human rights activism. In 1978, she emigrated to the United States, fearing forced psychiatric treatment. There she worked as a journalist for the Voice of America, Freedom, BBC and Deutsche Welle radio stations, covering the problems of the Crimean Tatar people, the history of their repression, Russification and assimilation. Ayşe Seitmuratova became a symbol of the struggle of the Crimean Tatar people for their rights, dignity and return to their homeland. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Turkish foreign minister visits Kyiv to discuss his talks with Russia
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has welcomed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Kyiv on 30 May after the minister's visit to Moscow this week. In Kyiv, the Turkish diplomat shared the results of negotiations in Russia. Source: European Pravda, citing the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Details: The ministers discussed in detail the bilateral and international agenda, the peace process, and the need for a complete ceasefire. "Minister Fidan has just returned from Moscow and informed me in detail about what he heard and saw there. We discussed steps that will bring peace to Ukraine," Sybiha said. Details: The ministers paid special attention to the issue of security in the Black Sea region, the Foreign Ministry noted. "Ukraine and Türkiye have a common goal: the Black Sea should be a space of peace, free trade and freedom of navigation," he added. The diplomats also discussed joint work on the implementation of the agreements following the results of the first meeting of the Ukrainian-Turkish working group on reconstruction. In addition, Sybiha expressed special gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his role in peace efforts. "We appreciate that Türkiye unconditionally supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, in particular the return of Crimea, and also defends the rights of the Crimean Tatar people," the minister said. Background: On 26-27 May, Türkiye's foreign minister was in Moscow, where he met Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Russia's chief negotiator for the Istanbul talks, Vladimir Medinsky. Fidan also held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Russia proposed that the second round of negotiations with Ukraine be held in Istanbul on 2 June, said Lavrov. At the same time, Kyiv noted that, to achieve results at the meeting, it needs to review Russia's "peace memorandum" in advance. On Thursday 29 May, Erdoğan urged Russia and Ukraine not to close the door on dialogue ahead of a likely meeting between representatives of both countries on Monday in Istanbul. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crimean Tatar activist Mustafayev, illegally imprisoned in Russia, receives international human rights award
Crimean Tatar and Kremlin political prisoner Server Mustafayev has received an award from Freedom House, an international human rights organisation. Mustafayev was previously illegally sentenced in Russia to 14 years in prison. Source: Freedom House website Details: The Freedom Award website announced that Mustafayev would receive the prize for his contribution to human rights and democracy. Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, received the Alfred Moses Liberty Award on behalf of Server Mustafayev. Quote from Markarova: "It was a great honour for me to receive this award on his behalf and to remind everyone about Server and all our other hostages and Ukrainians illegally detained by Russia [...] This recognition is an important reminder of the struggle of Ukraine and the Crimean Tatar people against the brutal repression by the Russian Federation. The Kremlin's crimes against the Crimean Tatars and the genocidal war against Ukraine are a continuation of the unpunished hateful policy of the evil empire, the deportations of 1944 and all other crimes against Ukrainians." Details: Freedom House is an international human rights organisation founded in 1941 to unite politicians in the fight against Nazi Germany. The organisation's mission is to promote and defend freedom around the world and to support democracy, particularly activists and human rights defenders who fight for these values. Every year, Freedom House honours individuals and groups for their significant contributions to the advancement of human rights and democracy. Previous recipients include the spiritual leader of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama, former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. For reference: Server Mustafayev is a Crimean Tatar who reported on human rights violations under Russian occupation as coordinator of the Crimean Solidarity association of relatives of political prisoners, lawyers and activists. He also spoke out in defence of victims of political repression. In May 2018, the Russians arrested Mustafayev on charges of supposedly participating in the Hizb ut Tahrir organisation, which is banned in Russia. Its representatives say their mission is to unite all Muslim countries in an Islamic caliphate. Meanwhile, members of the organisation reject terrorist methods and claim to be persecuted in Russia and occupied Crimea. Later, Mustafayev and other detainees in the case were illegally transferred to the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. He repeatedly complained about violations of his rights in a Russian pre-trial detention centre, in particular saying that he was denied medical care when he was ill, starved and restricted from taking walks in the fresh air. In September 2020, they were sentenced for alleged participation in terrorist activities. Server Mustafayev received 14 years in prison. At the time, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Russian court's decision unlawful and expressed its strong protest. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Ammon
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Ammon
Remembrance Day of the Victims of the Genocide against the Crimean Tatars
Myroslava Shcherbatiuk- Ambassador of Ukraine to Jordan May 18 is designated by the Ukrainian parliament as the Remembrance Day of the victims of the genocide of the indigenous Muslim people of Crimea – Crimean Tatars. On this day in 1944 the Soviet totalitarian regime committed one of the gravest crimes in its history — the forced mass deportation of the entire Crimean Tatar people from their historical homeland - Crimea. Acting on Joseph Stalin's personal order, the Soviet authorities decided to «completely cleanse» the peninsula of Crimean Tatars. This was an act of ethnic cleansing aimed at destroying the Crimean Tatars as an Indigenous people and national community, thereby enabling the full-scale colonization of the region. This crime was particularly devious, as the majority of the victims were women, children, and the elderly, while thousands of Crimean Tatar men were serving on the front lines of the World War II as part of the Red Army. At dawn of May 18 a large-scale operation by the NKVD (KGB) began simultaneously across Crimea. Armed officers stormed into homes, giving families only 10-20 minutes to gather their belongings before being forcibly expelled. By May 20, the Soviet authorities deported to remote regions of the Soviet Union by freight trains in total over 190 thousand Crimean Tatars, including more than 92,000 children under the age of 16. Deportees were transported in overcrowded cattle cars, without access to food, clean water or medical care. The journey to these remote settlements typically lasted two to three weeks. During the transportation alone from 7,000 to 8,000 people died from thirst, disease, exhaustion and the inhumane conditions. Upon arrival in exile Crimean Tatars faced forced labor, starvation, unsanitary conditions, widespread disease and total social isolation. They were resettled in specially designated, segregated areas known as «special settlements», which were operating as Soviet reservations. These settlements were subject to strict surveillance: mandatory registration at commandants' offices, prohibition from leaving the area and constant oversight by repressive authorities. Being a Crimean Tatar was a sentence, as these people were given the status of «special settlers» which entailed lifelong discrimination, restriction of basic rights such as freedom of movement, access to education, healthcare and employment in qualified professions. In Uzbekistan alone, according to official Soviet records, approximately 30,000 Crimean Tatars died within the first 18 months. In some areas, mortality rates reached 60–70%. According to the Crimean Tatar national movement, the actual death toll was likely even higher. Any attempt to leave the settlements could result in arrest, and repeated violations were punishable by up to 20 years of hard labor. In addition, nearly 6,000 individuals were sent directly to GULAG labor camps. Following the mass expulsion, the Soviet regime began erasing every trace of the Crimean Tatar presence in Crimea. The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was turned into a regular administrative region. Crimean Tatar toponyms were russified, mosques were destroyed or converted into utility buildings, and settlers from other Soviet republics were relocated to the homes of the deportees. The Crimean Tatar language, literature, historical documents and cultural artifacts were systematically destroyed or replaced with Russian ones. Even mentioning the deportation — known as Sürgünlik — was prohibited, and the term «Crimean Tatar» itself was nearly eliminated from the public use. Following the death of Joseph Stalin and the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars were still denied the right to return to their homeland — Crimea. In effect, their forced exile became indefinite. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, a national movement emerged, advocating for the restoration of Crimean Tatars' rights and their return to their homeland. The movement employed peaceful methods: public appeals, large-scale petition campaigns, non-violent protests and unauthorized returns to Crimea despite the official ban. It became one of the most extensive and longest-running human rights movements in the Soviet Union. In July 1987 hundreds of Crimean Tatars staged demonstrations on the Red Square in Moscow, publicly demanding the right to return. Under sustained public pressure in 1989 the Soviet authorities finally lifted the formal ban on Crimean Tatars residing in Crimea. After this decision a mass return of Crimean Tatars to their homeland began. By the late 1980s and especially in 1990–1991, thousands of families began their journey to homeland. The return was spontaneous and extremely difficult: the state provided no housing or support. Many families had to live in tents, dugouts or temporary shelters, building homes and infrastructure on their own. In response to bureaucratic resistance, particularly regarding land allocation, the community organized itself and founded around 300 new settlements in Crimea. In 1991 the institutional representation of the Crimean Tatar people was restored. On 26 June 1991 the historic Second Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People was held in Simferopol, reviving the tradition of the national self-governance which began in 1917. The Qurultay proclaimed the restoration of the people's right to self-governance in Crimea and established the representative body — the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People. The Mejlis became the legitimate voice of Crimean Tatars and worked with Ukrainian state authorities and the international community on issues of repatriation, restitution of property rights, education, language, and cultural development. Upon returning home, the Crimean Tatar people actively engaged in reviving their culture, language, and religious life, despite significant initial challenges. In the early years of repatriation, the Crimean Tatar Drama Theatre resumed its work, the folk ensemble Qırım was founded, and institutions such as the Ismail Hasprinskyi Library and the Museum of History and Culture of the Crimean Tatar People were established. The media began broadcasting and publishing in the Crimean Tatar language. Communities reopened mosques and reclaimed religious buildings that had been used as museums or warehouses under the Soviet rule. Schools were established with the tuition in Crimean Tatar language. After the Russian Federation occupied the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014, the genocidal practices initiated during the Soviet period were revived. The Russian occupation administration launched the systematic campaign of pressure, persecution, and displacement targeting the Crimean Tatar community — one of the most prominent centers of the non-violent resistance to the occupation. From the very beginning, the actions of the Russian occupation regime were aimed at destroying the identity, culture, political rights of this indigenous people of Ukraine in Crimea. In the first years of the Russian occupation the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People — the legitimate representative body recognized by the international community — were banned. In 2016 a Russian court designated the Mejlis as an «extremist organization» depriving Crimean Tatars of the right to collective representation. Peaceful assemblies - including commemorative events marking the anniversary of the 1944 deportation on 18 May – as well as the use of the Crimean Tatar symbols, and public remembrance of genocide victims were either banned or severely restricted. Prominent leaders, activists and human rights advocates were forced to leave Crimea, while others became targets of criminal prosecution, political pressure and smear campaigns in the media. Russian security forces in occupied Crimea carry out systematic searches of Crimean Tatar homes, arrests on fabricated charges, torture, abuse, and enforced disappearances. One of the key tools of the repression is prosecution of Crimean Tatars based on accusations of involvement in extremist organizations. Dozens of Crimean Tatars received lengthy sentences (up to 17–20 years) for alleged terrorism without any proof. Among the victims of such cases are journalists, human rights advocates, members of the Crimean Solidarity movement, and other pro-Ukrainian activists. At the same time, the occupation administration pursues the deliberate policy of cultural erasure and forced assimilation. All independent Crimean Tatar media outlets, including the ATR channel were shut down. Opportunities to receive education in the Crimean Tatar language were severely reduced, and history programs in schools were altered in order to reflect the Russian imperial interpretations. Traditional cultural events were banned and the public use of the Crimean Tatar language, symbols and religious practices are increasingly restricted. All these repressive actions occur against the backdrop of demographic shifts: thousands of Crimean Tatars are once again being forced to leave their homeland due to the atmosphere of fear, continuous searches, political persecution, and compulsory military conscription. In parallel, the Russian Federation is actively resettling its own citizens to the occupied Ukrainian territory of Crimea. This involves hundreds of thousands of people, which constitutes a direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and an act that qualifies as a war crime. This policy of «hybrid» deportation serves the same purpose as previous repressive campaigns of the Soviet time: to erase the Crimean Tatar presence in Crimea and create a false image of the «Russian» Crimea. On November 12, 2015 the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine officially recognized the deportation of the Crimean Tatars as an act of genocide and condemned the policy of the Soviet totalitarian regime in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Parliaments of Latvia and Lithuania (2019), Canada (2022), as well as Poland, Estonia, and the Czech Republic (2024) adopted resolutions recognizing the Soviet regime's actions against the Crimean Tatar people as genocide. These resolutions also explicitly condemn the Russian Federation's ongoing repressive policies against Crimean Tatars in the context of the ongoing Russian occupation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Ukraine continues to actively engage with governments and international organizations calling for a comprehensive legal and moral assessment of the events of 1944 and classification of the Crimean Tatar tragedy as genocide. One of the priorities of the foreign policy of Ukraine is the de-occupation of Crimea and protection of the rights of Crimean Tatars. Only the restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty over Crimea - and the guarantee of the rights of its indigenous people - can ensure that Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians and other citizens of Ukraine can live freely.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelensky names Ukrainian negotiating team in Istanbul
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed the team of 12 for the planned negotiations with the wartime adversary Russia in Turkey. The lead negotiator is Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. According to the decree, no other ministers have been assigned to the talks in Istanbul. All other negotiators are reportedly deputy heads of intelligence services, senior staff officers and an adviser to the head of the presidential office. Zelensky had previously criticized the low rank of the Russian negotiators multiple times and demanded direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin ignored the demand and, according to observers, sent political lightweights to Istanbul. The aim of the talks is to achieve a "just and lasting peace," it was stated in Kiev. The specific directives are classified. The Crimean Tatar Umerov had already participated in negotiations with Russia shortly after the now three-year long war began, but not as a minister, rather as a simple lawmaker. After the talks did not materialize on Thursday as expected, a new attempt is to be made this Friday, according to Turkish sources.
