Continuing trouble for Crimean Tatars

As war rages on in Eastern Ukraine, the territory that caught western attention in 2014 remains turbulent. Despite Russian President Putin’s promise to protect citizens of the Crimean peninsula post-annexation, Crimean Tatars are being “treated … as if they are the second-class people,” says Celal Icten, chairman of the Istanbul Association of Crimean Tatars.

Crimean Tatars make up over 12 percent of the peninsula’s population, while ethnic Russians comprise 58 percent. Crimea has been under Ukrainian governance since 1954, but in early 2014, President Putin reclaimed control of the strategic region, pushing the Tatar population into an uncertain future.

The referendum to join Russia that took place on March 16, 2014 passed with high numbers, but the majority of the Tatar population boycotted the election, and thus failed to offer a dissenting voice in the vote.

After nearly a year of Russian control, the Crimean Tatar population is being forcibly fragmented. It started with the detainment and exile of leaders of the community, namely Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov, who have been banned from Crimea for the next five years. Occupation forces have also detained Ahtem Ciygoz, the deputy head of the Crimean Tatar executive governing body, Mejlis, for causing “mass disorder.” With the community’s leaders out of the country or in jail, the population’s ability to stand up to the occupation forces is significantly diminished.

In addition, since the beginning of the occupation, Russian forces have been forcibly taking over Tatar buildings and conducting searches. Most significantly, the Mejlis has been closed down, its money confiscated and its building searched last September. Mosques, restaurants and homes have also been targets of Russian searches, all in the name of hunting for “arms and extremist literature.”  

Activists and everyday citizens are also in danger. People suspected of being pro-Maidan or anti-Russian control are often arrested, or worse, abducted. A number of people have gone missing, with only some of the bodies found to date. One of the most notable cases is that of Reshat Ahmetov, whose body was found after he was kidnapped by paramilitary units.

Not all Russian oppression of Crimean Tatars is violent. Occupation forces have prevented the Tatar population from practicing traditions and celebrating religious holidays. For example, the annual celebration of the 1944 mass exile of Crimean Tatars was originally prohibited last May, but the Russian authorities caved to international pressure and let the ceremony occur.

Oppression under Russian control brings back memories of the deportation of the entire Crimean Tatar population to Uzbekistan in 1944 under Stalin. Forty-six percent of the population died in the process, and it was not until the 1990s that Tatars were allowed back in Crimea. 

Russia continues to argue that its annexation of Crimea in 2014 was not against international law, but increasing dissatisfaction amongst the Tatar population keeps the legitimacy and morality of this action in question. Currently, Russian occupation authorities are insisting that residents become Russian citizens in order to have full rights to live and own land in Crimea.

The future rights of the Crimean Tatar community under Russian control are unclear. “Ukraine, at least, was trying to solve our problems. Earlier, we had a future [in Crimea] … but there is big uncertainty in our homeland right now,” says Crimean Tatar and Istanbul resident Adile Syyid. 

This is not to say that the international community should turn its attention from Eastern Ukraine. Horrendous violations of sovereignty and ethics continue in this region. But if the rights of Crimean Tatars to live in their homeland and practice their traditions safely are to be reestablished, Crimea must remain an international focus.