Minsk Group discussions in Paris (October 2nd)

On behalf of the Crimean Tatars, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has appealed to Chancellor Angela Merkel to represent this minority’s needs at the Ukraine Summit in Paris this coming Friday. ‘The roughly 300,000 Crimean Tatars have no state to stand behind them to defend their rights. They are suffering at the hands of systematic discrimination and are therefore very dependent on advocacy,’ explained Sarah Reinke, the STP consultant for the CIS countries, in Berlin on Thursday. ‘The hopes of the Crimean Tatars rest on the Chancellor’s shoulders: she should stand up for an end to the oppression and criminalization of the Crimean Tatar representative body, the Mejlis, and their members.’ In addition, illegally detailed prisoners should be freed, the impunity for crimes against Crimean Tatars should be ended, and the perpetrators held accountable. On October 2nd, the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and the Ukraine will meet in the French capital to discuss the situation in the Ukraine and the progress of the Minsk process.

According to STP information, 19 young Crimean Tatars are still missing, and the murder of Reschat Ametow in March 2014 has still not been explained. There is no freedom of press, and the homes of Crimean Tatars are still being searched. The Crimean Tatar language is being pressured even more severely. Before the beginning of the school year on 01.09.2015, teachers asked parents not to sign their children up for Crimean Tatar lessons, as these are only voluntary and the teacher does not get paid.

‘To help victims and to document this discrimination, as well as daily systematic harassment, the Crimea must be opened to independent journalists and human rights organizations,’ said Reinke. ‘These topics cannot be allowed to be swept under the carpet in Paris. The illegal annexation of the peninsula was the beginning of sanctions and a change in Russian policy. Treating the situation in the Crimea as business as usual is betraying your own principles.’

The situation in East Ukraine is also a cause of concern for the STP. The human rights organization warns of the danger posed by mines. Complete impunity has prevailed regarding serious human rights violations in recent months. Humanitarian support for the civil population must be the priority here. Around 2.5 million people, many of whom are internally displaced persons, strongly rely on aid before the onset of winter.

Header Foto: Valeri Pizhanski via Flickr