On June 5, 2023, Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people submitted to the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience the first package of documents on securing the legal status as a representative body of the Crimean Tatar people.
Eskender Bariiev, Head of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, a member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, announced that on his Facebook page.
“After 32 years, Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people will finally be in the legal field of Ukraine as a representative body of the Crimean Tatar people,” Bariiev emphasized.
Since 1991, Mejlis has been a de facto representative body of the Crimean Tatars. Ukrainian legislation prohibited the establishment of this de jure status. Meanwhile, in 1999, Leonid Kuchma created the Council of Representatives of the Crimean Tatar People under the President of Ukraine, which consisted exclusively of members of Milliy Mejlis.
Although it had no formal legal status in Ukraine, Mejlis was mentioned as a representative body of the Crimean Tatars in the documents of many international organizations.
After Mejlis receives its legal status, there will be an opportunity to participate in the development and implementation of programs, both state and regional, concerning the rights and interests of Crimean Tatars. In addition, it will be necessary to consult with this representative body on the issue of land allocation to indigenous peoples returning to Crimea. The procedure for including information about the languages, history, and culture of the Crimean Tatars in the educational process in Ukraine should also be determined in cooperation with Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.
The law also emphasized the right of indigenous peoples to create their own media. In this case, if more than half of the media belongs to a representative body, it can receive financial support from the state.
The activities of Mejlis will be funded by the State Budget of Ukraine under a separate budget program after the establishment of its status. The representative body also has the right to access financial, technical, charitable and humanitarian assistance from foreign states, international organizations, legal entities and individuals.