MEMORIAL RALLY HELD IN CENTER OF CAPITAL IN MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF DEPORTATION
On 18 May, on the date of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar nation, a memorial rally was held on Independence Square in Kiev, devoted to the anniversary of the horrible experiences. This year the rally had to be conducted in Kiev since because of the occupation such events cannot be held in Crimea.
The event, which was organized by the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and by other organizations, gathered a large number of conscientious and caring people who came to pay tribute to the victims of the deportation and to express support for Crimean Tatars who are experiencing today difficult times from the Russian occupation.
The joint singing of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar national anthems; speeches by the head of the Mejlis, Refat Chubarov, civic activists, and the mufti of the DUMU Umma, Said Ismagilov; the presence of foreign guests; and the large crowd at the rally all testified to the caring and support of each person.
"Crimea is Ukraine," "Eternal Memory to Victims of Genocide," "I love you, Qirim," "May 18, we all are Crimean Tatars" [the last one in English—tr.]: these and other slogans accompanied the event. Irina Ryndych told RISU about this.
Background Information: In May 1944, the head of the USSR, Josif Stalin, signed an order prepared by the NKVD about the expulsion of the Crimean Tatars from the territory of Crimea. They were accused of aiding the German occupiers and of mass desertion.
The expulsion began in the morning of 18 May and finished by evening of 20 May. Around 190,000 Crimean Tatars were deported. The majority of them went to the Uzbek SSR.
In the years of World War II, Crimean Germans, Armenians, Bulgarians, and Greeks also were expelled from the peninsula.
Mass return of deported persons began in the late 1980s and early 1990s. About 265 thousand Crimean Tatars, professing Islam, lived there before the beginning of the annexation of Crimea by Russia. In the past year, many Crimean Tatars spoke out sharply against the Russian occupation. According to information of rights activists, since that time Crimean Tatars have been subjected to discrimination and persecution on the part of the Russian occupation authorities.
Refat Chubarov, the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, said that nowadays a trend of emigration from occupied Crimea is being observed. In particular, the last session of the Mejlis had to be conducted with the help of Skype because eight of its members are now living in mainland Ukraine. Chubarov himself has been forbidden by the Russian authorities who occupy Crimea to return to his motherland. He stated this while addressing the European parliament. (tr. by PDS, posted 20 May 2015)
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