The Crimean Tatar Resource Center continues a series of publications dedicated to the life stories and fates of the Crimean Tatar families, which were prepared within the project “Hostages of the Occupation” In the second publication we offer you to get acquainted with the Crimean Tatar journalist Shevket Namatullaiev, who, together with his family, was forced to leave the occupied Crimea.
Shevket Namatullaiev is a journalist for whom the words "objectivity", "truthfulness" and "justice" are not empty. In 2014, he was one of those who, despite risks and threats, responsibly fulfilled his professional and patriotic duties by covering the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Later, the journalist was even deprived of the Crimean Verkhovna Rada accreditation and was blacklisted for refusing to stand up during the anthem of Russia.
Because of his professional activity he came to the attention of the "new authorities" on the peninsula. Staying in his homeland was more and more dangerous. Time played against him. The possibility of arrest was approaching day by day. Shevket and his family were subsequently forced to flee Crimea.
Does the family miss their homeland and relatives? Yes, of course. It was difficult to leave Crimea but personal security was a priority. Shevket says that way he is more likely to benefit his country than in prison. His wife Fazile jokingly says that she seems to have married a man who lives far away, but the main dream of the Namatullaievs family is to return to their loved ones in Crimea. For now, as they are forced to stay in Kyiv, their most ambitious goal is to preserve their lineage, gene pool and raise their children with dignity.
Today, Shevket Namatullaiev is probably known in every Crimean Tatar household. He is the host of the only Crimean Tatar channel ATR, which was also forced to leave Crimea.
“As a journalist, my goal is to cover the events on the peninsula, in particular, human rights violations. My task is to ensure that people in Crimea do not despair and keep hoping that all this horror that Russia has brought to our home will end. My job is to be the mouthpiece of the people,” admits Shevket.
To conclude, he adds that when he returns home the first thing will be to visit his relatives, both the living and the dead, and will visit the places of his ancestors.
Project manager: Zarema Bariieva
Author of pictures: Elvir Sagirman
Text writer: Elvir Sagirman
Translation into English: Zarema Bariieva
We remind that on February 26 in Kyiv, the presentation of the album and the exhibition “Hostages of the Occupation” took place, which tell us about the fate of 20 Crimean Tatar families after the annexation of the peninsula. On March 10, the exhibition opened in Vinnytsia. The exhibition is expected to be presented in Lviv and Dnipro as well.
The project was prepared by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center with the support of the Democracy Grants Program of the US Embassy to Ukraine.