Today, Russia’s Supreme Court confirmed a lower court ruling declaring Mejlis, a Crimean Tatar elected representative body, an extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea. The decision is outrageous but not surprising: Human Rights Watch has documented a steady curtailing of basic freedoms in Crimea since Russian forces began occupying the peninsula in February 2014.
Earlier this year, Crimea’s prosecutor petitioned a court to recognize the actions of Mejlis as extremist. In April, Crimea’s Supreme Court banned Mejlis and declared it an extremist organization.
Source: Human Rights Watch