Hearing on ban of Crimean Tatar Mejlis postponed until April 15th
The so-called Supreme Court of the Russian Crimea held a session on Friday regarding the prohibition of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People on the occupied peninsula. As Krym.Realii reported, the session lasted a mere 10 minutes and resulted in a postponement of the hearing.
The next session is scheduled for April 15th.
Crimean Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya initiated proceedings to ban the Mejlis, accusing the representative body of engaging in extremist activity.
On Friday, Poklonskaya provided documents allegedly proving the guilt of Crimean Tatar leader Refat Chubarov, who is accused of "threatening the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation".
The defense requested time to examine the documents, which the judge granted.
Leaders of the Mejlis predict that the court will most likely satisfy the request of the Prosecutor’s Office to ban the representative body.
The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March of 2014 in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution. The Kremlin has faced international condemnation for its annexation of the Peninsula, leading many western countries to impose economic sanctions against Russia. In the United Nations, only Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.