The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands from Russia to stop pressure on Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea. The speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa commented to the ATR television channel.
"Unfortunately, ordinary people suffer, those who live in Crimea under occupation. We strongly protest and we call to stop such repression." We also condemn the illegal detention of Evgeny Panov, one of our political prisoners. We will turn to our partners and will pass all the evidence of the repression to the international court", – Betsa said.
After the occupation of Crimea, repressions against Crimean Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists acquired mass character. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, in 2017, there were registered 286 arrests, 340 interrogations, 62 searches, 46 arrests, 104 fines a total of more than 5 million rubles, as well as 16 new political prisoners and 4 victims. Most of the violations occur with the representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.