U N I T E D N A T I O N S
KIRIM TATAR MILLI MECLISI
MEJLIS
OF THE CRIMEAN TATAR
PEOPLE
The statement of the representative of
MEJLIS OF THE CRIMEAN TATAR PEOPLE
at the 12th session of the
Working Group on the Indigenous population to the U.N.O.
July 1994
Crimean Tatars - the Indigenous People of Crimea have been
formed on the territory of the peninsula during a thousand
years as the result of interrelation and mixing of
aboriginals and different tribes, settled in the Crimea. The
State system of Crimean Tatar people - the Crimean Khanate -
was abolished in 1783 as a result of annexation of the
Crimea by the Russian empire. Since that time the Indigenous
People have become the object of innumerable repressions,
political, economic, cultural, religious and other
opressions on the Russian empire's part and the communist
regime then. The total population was reduced from 2.5
million in 1783 to 130,000 in 1921, owing to the permanent
violence, while its territory was thoroughly settled by
colonists. In May 1944, the Crimean Tatar people were
subjected to total deportation from the Crimea to the
regions of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Ural and Siberia. It
was an act of genocide and as a result of it more than 46%
total Crimean Tatar's population was eliminated because of
violence, hunger and drudgery. Hundreds of thousands of
Crimean Tatars were deprived of their Homeland, habitation,
property and lands.
After the deportation of the Indigenous people from the
Crimea, the social, cultural and material facilities and
establishments were destroyed by the state; historical
toponomy was changed and anti-Tatar racist propaganda was
carried out. During the last years it has become possible
for some deported Tatars to return to their native land, but
that process is hampered by the Crimean authorities which
impose on inhabitants, who have been settled in Crimea after
the deportation of Crimean Tatar people, a policy alien to
its interests. The Crimean authorities failed to take the
necessary measures for the restoration of rights of the
returning Indigenous People to their native land. Crimean
Tatars are awfully discriminated against, collectively,
individually, and at the national level. Recently the
difficult situation of the Crimean Tatar people is becoming
complicated because of the fact that the administration of
the Crimea follows the separatist policy against the will of
the Indigenous People in order to take out the peninsula
from the Ukrainian jurisdiction and join Russia. Thereby
the violation of principles of national and territorial
integrity has taken place. Those actions create the real
threat for the beginnings of interstate conflict on the
ethnic territory of the Crimean Tatar people. From the
500,000 people living in the former USSR only half of them
have returned to the Crimea. The Crimean Tatars are not
compensated for material and spiritual damage, caused by
their deportation. Their political rights have not yet been
rehabilitated including the right of national self-
determination. Their culture is also in a catastrophic
situation, such kind of conflict could exclude the
perspective of revival and further development of the
Indigenous people of the Crimea.
We are firmly convinced that it is impossible to solve the
"Crimean problem" without just settlement of Crimean Tatar
problems. The basis of that decision should be a package of
legal acts, which is necessary to work out by all the
interested parties and should be adopted by the Ukrainian
parliament.
We reaffirm our complete readiness to take part in that work
and we shall make every effort in order to avoid further
heavy consequences of one of the monstrous crimes of XX
ages: the genocide against the Crimean Tatar people.
We are very interested in cooperating with international
organizations, both which are a part of the United Nations
Organization as well as non-governmental organizations,
especially with the organizations of the Indigenous peoples.
We consider the cause of the defense of the human rights of
the Indigenous Peoples as one of our main tasks and we seek
to cooperate with all those who share that point of view to
the problem.
OUR CONTACTS:
Ukraine, Zhidkova str. 40, Simferopol
Crimea, 333039
ph/fax: (0652)25-83-43
ph/fax: (06554)4-39-70
Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People
The Chairman:
Mr. Mustafa Jemilev (Crimoglu)
The Deputy of the Chairman:
Mr. Refat Chubarov
The Head of Department
on the political and legal
issues Mr. Nadir Bekirov
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