Ongoing political persecutions on Crimean Tatars in occupied territories of Ukraine

Written declaration No. 752 | Doc. 15610 | 19 September 2022

Signatories:

Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Knut ABRAHAM, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Katarina AMMITZBØLL, Denmark, EPP/CD ; Ms Krista BAUMANE, Latvia, ALDE ; Ms Larysa BILOZIR, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Artem DUBNOV, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Erkin GADIRLI, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Mr Christoph HOFFMANN, Germany, ALDE ; Ms Maria JUFEREVA-SKURATOVSKI, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Serhii KALCHENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Ms Yevheniia KRAVCHUK, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Eerik-Niiles KROSS, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Max LUCKS, Germany, SOC ; Mr Oleksandr MEREZHKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Ms Olena MOSHENETS, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Arkadiusz MULARCZYK, Poland, EC/DA ; Ms Yuliia OVCHYNNYKOVA, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Julian PAHLKE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Filiz POLAT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Serhii SOBOLIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Pavlo SUSHKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Mr Raivo TAMM, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Ms Lesia VASYLENKO, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Yelyzaveta YASKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the persecution of the Crimean Tatars only intensified. As in Crimea, the Russian occupiers are systematically persecuting representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people in the settlements of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Since the beginning of September 2022, there are 106 (7 from Kherson region) Crimean Tatars who have been deprived of their personal freedom as a result of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine.

One of these examples is the case of Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis Nariman Dzhelal, who in 2021 took part in the events of the Crimean Platform, for which he is actually being prosecuted. The court decided that the verdict will be announced on 21 September 2022. The occupiers are actually asking for 20 years in prison for his pro-Ukrainian position and indomitable will.

We draw the attention of the entire international community to the ongoing persecution of representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, and call for increased pressure on the Russian occupiers by all available means.