In the two years since Russia illegally annexed Crimea, Crimean Tatars have faced the brunt of the de facto authorities’ brutality. On April 15, Crimea’s so-called prosecutor, Natalia Poklonskaya, banned the Mejlis, Crimean Tatars’ representative body in Crimea, labelling it “an extremist organization.” Following the prosecutor’s move, Crimea’s Supreme Court banned the Mejlis on April 26.These latest moves by Crimea’s authorities are a concerning deterioration for the peninsula’s indigenous minority. Halya Coynash—a well-known Ukrainian human rights activist—has branded the Mejlis ban an effective declaration of war against the Crimean Tatar people.One fear is that the banning of the Mejlis under …read more
Source: Atlantic Council