The Founding Forum Crimea – A Look into the Future was held in Kyiv

On Friday, August 19, the Founding Forum Crimea – A Look into the Future" was held at the Kyiv City State Administration, during which the speakers discussed the consequences of the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, as well as mechanisms for the future development of the peninsula after its de-occupation.

Speakers were:

Mustafa Dzhemilev – leader of the Crimean Tatar people, political and public figure, human rights activist, member of the dissident movement, former political prisoner, MP of Ukraine;

Ihor Kozlovsky – scientist, historian, philosopher, public figure;

Eskender Bariiev – political, public figure, member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Head of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center;

Refat Chubarov – political, public figure, Head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people;

Hulnara Abdulaeva – historian, journalist, TV presenter, public figure;

Natalya Liutykova – public figure, volunteer, coordinator of the project Occupation through the eyes of teenagers;

Volodymyr Ariev – political, public figure, journalist, MP of Ukraine;

Yevhen Yezhov – chief project architect;

Volodymyr Balukh – social activist, former political prisoner;

Liudmyla Korotkykh – manager of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center;

Yevhen Khlobystov – Doctor of Economics, Professor of the Department of Ecology of the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Academician of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Ukraine, member of the Expert Council of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development of Crimea.

In his report, Eskender Bariiev noted the historical parallels of the colonial demographic policy of the Russian Empire after 1783 and the Russian Federation after 2014. He spoke about three waves of deportation of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people from Crimea and how the national ethnographic and social structure of the population changed as a result.

“Principles do not change, unfortunately. Persecution, arrests, penal servitude/prisons were constantly used as a tool for squeezing out the disloyal indigenous population and, on the other hand, for settling Crimea with Russian citizens”,- he stressed.

Liudmyla Korotkykh during her speech spoke about the restoration or rather the establishment of the rule of law on the peninsula, transitional justice, human rights and the implementation of the collective rights of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.

“Realizing that the reintegration of Crimea will take place in the context of the all-Ukrainian post-war reconstruction, we understand that those crimes against humanity, massive and gross violations of human rights that took place on the peninsula during the occupation will be the subject of consideration in the international tribunal and other international bodies. But during the occupation of Crimea, our organization recorded about 5,000 violations of individual human rights, and these are only those cases that we know about”,- she stressed.

Yevhen Khlobystov spoke about the environmental consequences of the occupation of Crimea.

“A study of the state of the ecological situation in Crimea after its occupation shows us that instead of developing the peninsula as a recreational area, Crimea was turned into a military base. The construction of any buildings was carried out completely illegally. And unfortunately, no environmental convention provides for effective liability for its violation”,- he explained.

The expert believes that Ukraine should more effectively shape the socio-economic policy, environmental policy, demographic policy towards Crimea, taking into account the changes that have taken place on the territory of the peninsula during the years of temporary occupation. Ukraine must understand how we see our future as part of a single state and already think about the reintegration of the peninsula.