Council of Europe: Repressions against Ukrainians and Tatars in Crimea are continuing
In annexed by Russia Crimea, repressions against Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars continue. This is stated in the report on the results of the visit of the mission of the Council of Europe to the peninsula, which happened during the last week of January.
During the visit, the delegation "met with numerous representatives of civil society, non-governmental organizations, religious communities, national minorities, including the Crimean Tatars, as well as members of the media and local authorities." Topics, "which were discussed regularly" during these meetings, relate to alleged abuses of law enforcement agencies, in particular during the searches, the report says.
The searches were often directed against the Crimean Tatars, conducted without warrants and with "disproportionate use of force", the document says. As a reason for such operations, the law on extremist activity is being used, the report said. The theme of the "disappearances among Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars" was also mentioned.
This harassment "seems directed at individual opponents - in particular, the Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians - rather than reflecting a policy of collective repressions against the Crimean Tatars as an ethnic group." However, recognition of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people as an extremist organization will be "a new level of repressions against the Crimean Tatars", the Council of Europe emphasizes.
"The most important conclusion of the report on the results of a seven-day visit to Crimea is the need to reopen the peninsula for monitoring by the Council of Europe and other international mechanisms, as well as the need to develop reliable solutions that will enable them to function effectively in current circumstances," the head of the mission, Swiss diplomat Gérard Stoudmann, said.
On Wednesday, the Russian Prosecutor of Crimea, Natalia Poklonskaya, made the decision to suspend the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. "Today I made a decision to suspend the activities of the public association "Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people" in order to prevent violations of the federal law," Poklonskaya said. In her decision, the Prosecutor refers to Articles 9 and 10 of the law "On Countering Extremist Activity". Her decision was sent to the Ministry of Justice to include the Mejlis on the general list of public and religious associations whose activities are suspended on the territory of Russia.
"The rights of the public association are being suspended. They are forbidden to use all state and municipal media. They cannot carry out various public mass meetings, use bank deposits or carry out any work in general. All of their propaganda will be prohibited," Poklonskaya explained. The suspension of the Mejlis will act until the Supreme Court of Crimea makes a decision.
On February 15, Poklonskaya filed a lawsuit to ban the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. "At present time, we continue to receive complaints from the Crimean Tatar people, including the leaders of the Crimean Tatar organizations, asking to recognize the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people as illegal and provocative, as well as to take action to prohibit the use of the national flag of the Crimean Tatars by the criminals who participate in the blockade and make diversions against the people of Crimea," the claim states. The denunciations also call to prohibit the Mejlis from opposing the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Crimea and, personally, Mufti Emirali Ablaev.