In Henichesk district of the Kherson region, the work of the Freedom Camp International Summer Camp, implemented by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Ukraine, and the Open Society Foundation, continues. The activists were introduced to the activities and strategy of the #LIBERATECRIMEA international movement, and also talked about the liberation movements in a historical context, the strategy of activism, the specifics of global politics and world order.
Eskender Bariiev, Head of the Board of the CTRC, a member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, told the participants of the “Freedom Camp” about the international movement #LIBERATECRIMEA, about its strategy and activities. The trainer noted that it is aimed at strengthening the voice of civil society calling for an end to the illegal occupation of Crimea, a gross violation of international law and the root cause of countless human rights violations committed in Crimea since February 2014.
Bariiev held practical seminars with the participants, where activists in groups worked on the development of campaigns and messages, which in the future will be implemented / used within the framework of the international movement #LIBERATECRIMEA.
Oliver Loode, an expert at the Estonian Institute for Human Rights, introduced the activists online to the liberation movements in a historical context, with the lessons of the American civil rights movement. The trainer also spoke about the independence of the Baltic states and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Loode revealed the topic of liberation movements through the following examples:
– The US Civil Rights Movement (1950s – 60s) – the fight against racial segregation and legislative racism in the US South.
– Global movement against apartheid (1960s – 1990s) – ending racism in South Africa.
– Movement for Estonian National Independence (1980s – 1991) – restoration of independence from Soviet occupation.
– Black Lives Matter (2013 – present) – resistance to structural / systemic racism in the United States, in particular police brutality.
In this context, the trainer discussed with the activists the general features of these movements, their main factors of success, as well as the most relevant examples for the Crimean Tatars and specific initiatives for the indigenous people of Crimea.
Mridula Ghosh, Chairman of the Board of the Eastern European Development Institute, delivered an online lecture to the activists on the topic “Strategies for Activism, Human Rights and Sustainability”.
Iliya Kusa, an expert on international politics at the think tank |Ukrainian Institute for the Future”, told the participants about the specifics of global politics and world order.
As part of the evening programs, screenings and discussion of documentaries “A Struggle for Survival of the Indigenous People of Crimea” and “Witnesses of the 1944 Genocide” took place.
The International Summer Camp “Freedom Camp” was organized with the support of the Representative Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Ukraine and Belarus, as well as the Open Society Foundation.
We remind you that on August 12, the work of the International Summer Camp “Freedom Camp” began. The event, which takes place in the village of Strilkove, Henichesk district, Kherson region, is attended by activists from different parts of Ukraine. The goal of the camp is to unite activists, exchange experience, obtain information about liberal values, communication technologies, image, international public events, methods of nonviolent resistance, etc., as well as the formation of new creative ideas in the context of the liberation of Crimea.