Eskender Bariiev, the Head of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, spoke about Russia’s illegal ban on Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people during the side event of the CTRC on the topic: The Role of Civil Society in Struggle against Discrimination on Russia-Occupied Territories of Ukraine. The event was held within the framework of the OSCE Third Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting.
Full speech:
Dear participants of the side event!
As a representative of the Crimean Tatar people, I would like to express my gratitude to the Member States that support Ukraine in its struggle against war crimes committed by Russia.
I am a member of the representative body of the indigenous people of Crimea – Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.
Mejlis is the only authorized representative and executive body of the Crimean Tatar people, elected by Kurultai. Mejlis is regulated by the decisions of Kurultai, the national congress, international law and the laws of Ukraine. The main goal of Mejlis is to eliminate the consequences of the genocide committed by the Soviet state against the Crimean Tatar people, restore the collective rights of the Crimean Tatar people and realize their right to self-determination on their historical territory.
By the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia of September 29, 2016, Mejlis was declared an extremist organization and banned, thus violating the collective right of Crimean Tatars to govern representative institutions.
Russia banned Mejlis due to the fact that, according to its decision, Crimean Tatars ignored the illegal referendum and elections in Crimea.
The FSS conducts systematic repressions against a several members of Mejlis.
I cannot live in my house. As a member of Mejlis, the FSS carried out repressive actions and opened criminal cases against me. In September 2014, 20 armed men broke into my house and pointed their weapons at me and my children, 4 years and 6 months old. They searched the house, realizing that they would not find anything. Criminal cases were opened against me for my public position, and I was arrested in absentia.
More than 40 members of Mejlis of all levels were searched, detained and tortured.
The leaders of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemiliev and Refat Chubarov were deported from their native land.
Akhtem Chyihoz was held in FSS torture chambers for 2 years and 9 months, and Ilmi Umerov was sentenced to 2 years in a penal colony.
On May 24, 2016, a member of Mejlis Ervin Ibrahimov was abducted in Bakhchysarai. He has not been found yet.
First Vice Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Nariman Dzhelialov, was detained by Russian security forces in his home on September 4, 2021. He has been in the FSS’s torture chambers for 1 year and 10 months. The occupation court accused him of sabotage as part of an organized group and sentenced him to 17 years in prison.
The occupiers prohibit the Mejlis meetings where important decisions for the people are made.
Due to the occupation of Crimea by Russia and the ban on Mejlis and persecution, the Crimean Tatar people are denied the right to hold democratic elections of their representative bodies in Crimea.
The International Court of Justice is currently considering the Ukraine v. Russia case. By an interim decision of April 19, 2017, the ICJ ordered Russia to cancel the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia to ban Mejlis. The ICJ also ordered Russia to allow Mejlis to operate as the legitimate representative body of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people in Crimea. However, the Russians did not fulfill this decision. Also, the statements of the members of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people of all levels are being considered by the European Court of Human Rights.
On July 1, 2021, Ukraine adopted the Law on Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine. Its implementation is currently underway. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved two regulatory acts. Currently, Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people has submitted documents to the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience of Ukraine to secure the legal status of the representative body of the indigenous people of Ukraine.
We hope that in the context of the ongoing racial discrimination of the Crimean Tatar people by Russia, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will secure the legal status of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people in due course.