Seven years ago, on March 16, 2014, Russian occupants, at gunpoint, held a so-called referendum on the status of the peninsula in Crimea, as a result of which Russia included Crimea in its composition. The UN General Assembly declared the so-called referendum illegal. The European Union, the United States and a number of other countries also recognized the referendum as null and void. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center calls on the international community and international organizations to increase pressure on the Russian Federation and the occupying authorities of Crimea in order to de-occupy the peninsula.
Hundreds of thousands of people of different nationalities boycotted the referendum in response to the appeal of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. All the so-called polling stations in the places of compact residence of the Crimean Tatars were absolutely empty, and in some settlements they were completely closed.
The indigenous people of Crimea – the Crimean Tatars, boycotted the referendum, clearly defined their position and their right to self-determination in accordance with the international law.