On Monday, February 8, in the office of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, a meeting was held with the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Kairat Abdurakhmanov. Representatives of Mejlis informed the diplomat about the situation with human rights violations in the occupied Crimea and about repressions against the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
The meeting was attended by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdurakhmanov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Refat Chubarov, National Leader of the Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Dzhemilev, Deputy Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Ilmi Umerov, Head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and Head of the Department of Legal Affairs of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Eskender Bariiev and member of Mejlis Riza Shevkiev, as well as assistants-consultants of the MPs of Ukraine.
Representatives of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people informed the diplomat about the situation with human rights violations in the occupied Crimea, about repressions against the indigenous people of Crimea and ethnic Ukrainians. In particular, the Head of the Board of the CTRC Eskender Bariiev proposed the following:
1. Develop an Action Plan to improve the situation of the Crimean Tatar people in the OSCE region;
2. The leadership and member states of the OSCE should, on an ongoing basis, including during bilateral cooperation, demand from Russia the implementation of the Interim Resolution of the ICU, Declarations and Resolutions of the OSCE PA, Resolution of the Council of Europe Council on the cancellation of the decision to ban the Mejlis;
3. Create a systemic dialogue between the OSCE and other international organizations and bodies (UN, UNESCO, UN Human Rights Council, CE) on the human rights situation in Crimea in order to ensure synergy of efforts;
4. Initiate the development of a humanitarian response plan for Crimea, due to ongoing racial discrimination, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impending threat of dehydration of Crimea.
“Unfortunately, in history it happens that those who once helped others may also need help. The Kazakhs have the epic poem “40 batyrs”, which is directly connected with the Crimea and the Crimean Tatars. In accordance with the epic poem, the Crimean Tatars provided help to the brotherly Kazakh people, unfortunately, now the Crimean Tatars themselves need help”,- Bariev added.
The OSCE High Commissioner, in turn, recalled the continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and stressed that the OSCE will never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea. In addition, the interlocutors discussed ways of further communication between the OSCE EC Office and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.