Crimean election showed the true nature of new authorities that strives for dictatorship establishment as everyone has already seen. Any dissent and all the more any protest is prosecuted. Russian law is used not to protect citizens, but to threaten those who disagree over governmental actions and could become more significant political opposition. Under such conditions Crimean people must forget about basic democratic freedoms like freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of religion, the right of education in native language, the right of national culture and traditions maintenance.
It’s out of the question to exercise the lawful right of open protest expression against illegal decisions of new political power, because unauthorized rallies including gathering of more than three people are forbidden.
So, free life is over. Everyone who didn’t understand these simple rules has to suffer from searches, detentions or “explanatory talks”. If people are not conscious of their behavior than there will be penalties, arrests, criminal cases and so on. If these measures aren’t successful, the government may use some “other methods”. For instance, there was case of Reshat Ametov, who was taken away by three servicemen from protest demonstration on the March 3, 2014. At a later date his dead body was found.
From the very beginning, when there was euphoria of so called “Creamer is ours”, it became clear, how the situation would develop. In order to train local inhabitants to be orderly the Moscow policemen with rich experience were seconded. Then people having gathered for peace protest were strongly recommended promptly to break up and never to gather “on unauthorized meetings”, in a different way they would be detained.
New authorities distrust Crimean Tatars especially strong because of their solidarity and activity. Getting irritated at the Crimean Tatars’ boycott of the election and their participation in the UN World conference on indigenous peoples in New York despite the ban the new power doesn’t conduct talks with activists and acts shortly and harshly.
In the night after election the Ukrainian flag was torn down by unknown people from Mejlis and Foundation “Crimea” buildings. Those actions were put on video. Mejlis’ workers posted the Ukrainian flag again, as they had repeatedly done during occupation, but it was only beginning. Next day, when ignoring of election by Crimean Tatars was revealed, a series of inspections, searches and detentions of activists swept over the Crimea. Building of Mejlis was cordoned by armed people on the September 16.
Ordinary citizens and journalists, who were there, were threatened with arrest instead to explain the situation. Every journalist was taken snap and demanded to show the accreditation of the Russian Federation. All workers were warned that they should leave the building during the day, otherwise they would be fined. The Chairman of Foundation “Crimea” Riza Shevkiev said that he had not seen the court’s decision. Mustafa Dzhemilev called Mejlis’s occupation bandit raid, because administration of foundation was not warned about such judgment.
Editorial organ of Mejlis newspaper “Avdet” was also searched. The search took place in its editor’s Shevket Kaybullaeva absence. With this person secret service agents repeatedly conducted preventive talks. Among the real estate that found itself under a ban, there were Mejlis offices, Editorial organ of journal “Yıldız” and flats where Tatars stay.
At the same time a search was conducted in flat of Mejlis’s member Eskender Bariev. He has actively criticized annexation of Crimea by Russia, opposed the entry of the Crimean Tatars in bodies of self-proclaimed Crimean government. Armed men burst into his flat in the Molodegnoe village near Simferopol. Federal security service agents (FSB) showed order that was said the search carried out on criminal case related to the events of May 3: organization of meeting of Mustafa Dzhemilev by the Crimean Tatars on the border of the Crimea. They searched for forbidden literature. Even the children bedroom was searched. Eskender Bariev has already said that he considered situation like “deterrence of socially active people and element of moral pressure”.
Censorship was introduced into all free mass media on the peninsula. Crimean channel “ATP” was accused of extremism and formation of “anti-Russian public opinion”, about that director-general Elzara Islamova was informed. On these grounds channel management was demanded to give the copies of licenses and lease contract, personnel arrangements, list of staff, job descriptions of editor and workers who are responsible for publication.
Repressions being conducted by new governmental power didn’t also pass editorial office of state broadcasting company (STRC) “Crimea”. Senior staff, who have worked on television more than ten years, was fired under the pretext of company restructuring. Former editor Arza Selimova stated: “Crimean Tatar editorial office that existed 24 years old is destroyed”.
In Simferopol the authorities closed the largest Crimean Tatar library, which was opened in 1990. At first, it was branch of library for adults and then the Izmail Gasprinsky Republican Crimean Tatar library was founded.
Following the numerous violations of the rights and freedoms of the Crimean Tatar people it may be concluded for sure that occupation authorities started massive repressions’ campaign against Crimean Tatar people. The fact of more than 40 searches evidenced it. The searches were conducted in the mosques, madrasas, libraries, houses of Crimean Tatar activists, members of Mejlis. The reasons were different: search for arm, narcotics and so called “forbidden literature”. New power deports Crimean Tatar people, bars the entry of pro-Ukrainian activists and leaders of Crimean Tatar movement into peninsula territory, and threatens those who don’t recognize legality of Ukrainian peninsula’s annexation by Russia.
The new prosecutor of Crimea Natalia Poklonska declared that people who disagree with the fact that Crimea became part of Russia, will be evicted and forbidden the entry on peninsula. Repressions in the Crimea are increasingly threatening the life and security of Crimean Tatars. According to Mustafa Dzhemilev since occupation of Crimea about 18 Crimean Tatars went missing. Edem Asanov was the latest man being kidnapped on the September 29. It’s obvious that Russian government has been realizing their well-known policy. According to that policy there isn’t such nation as the Crimean Tatar people, their leaders and organizations are outside of law and any demonstration of identity must be brutally suppressed.
Under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Court of Human Rights the prosecution on the basis of ethnicity is a form of racial discrimination. It’s necessary, therefore, to draw attention of international community on situation’s worsening on the Crimean peninsula after Russian occupation. International community must adequately respond to numerous violations of the human rights and the rights of indigenous Crimean Tatar people. The Crimean Tatars’ tragedy that had happened 70 years ago shouldn’t recur again.