At the end of WWII the Soviet leadership ordered the deportation of the whole nation of Crimean Tatars (more than 238000 people, 86% of which were women and children) from the Crimean Peninsula to Central Asia because of its ethnic, cultural, religious and political stand. This small but proud title nation of Crimea has survived after almost 50 years of deprivation and humiliation and with the independence of Ukraine has returned to its homeland. Unfortunately, after the 2014 armed aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of Crimea, the Russian Federation resumed its persecution of the Crimean Tatars.

On 11 May 2016 the Parliament of Ukraine adopted the Appeal to the UN, European Parliament, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, world leaders, parliaments and members of the international community to commemorate memory of victims of the Crimean Tatars genocide and condemn the ongoing violations by the Russian Federation of the Crimean Tatars’ human rights and freedoms.

Ukraine reaffirms its full respect and adherence to the principles of protection of indigenous peoples and national minorities. The Crimean Tatars are recognised as an indigenous nation in Ukraine and the right of the Crimean Tatars for self-determination within the sovereign and independent State of Ukraine is acknowledged.

Ukrainian Parliament has also unequivocally stated that forceful deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 from the Crimean Peninsula constituted an act of genocide.

Today the Russian Federation continues armed aggression against Ukraine. We condemn occupation by the Russian Federation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine. Being indignant by numerous and systematic violations by the Russian Federation of human rights in the occupied territory, we also condemn the ban and obstacles for work of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars imposed by Russia. The systematic pressure exercised by the occupational authorities over the Crimean Tatars, repressions against the citizens of Ukraine on the ground of nationality and religion, organization by Russia of ethnically and politically motivated persecutions of the Crimean Tatars, their self-governing bodies constitute a deliberate policy of ethnic genocide.     

Ukraine and the international community have been repeatedly demanding from the Russian Federation to stop the state policy directed at violating human rights and freedoms of citizens in Crimea and in particular the rights of the Crimean Tatars.

We appeal to the international community to condemn the actions of the Russian occupational authorities and take necessary steps to defend the Crimean Tatars from discrimination, hunt and prosecution by the Russian Federation.    

We also call upon the international community to recognize the 1944 forceful deportation of the Crimean Tatars from Crimea as an act of genocide of the Crimean Tatar people. Ukraine proposes that all governments, parliaments and international organizations and institutions on 18 May – Crimean Tatars Memory Day – pay tribute to innocent victims of the criminal deportation, committed in 1944 by the communist totalitarian regime.