14 May 2025
On 14 May 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Adopted an Appeal to the Governments and Parliaments of Foreign States, International Organizations, and Parliamentary Assemblies on Honoring the Memory of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People and Consolidating Efforts to End the Violation of Their Rights and Freedoms by the Russian Federation
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted an Appeal to the international community on honoring the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people and on ending the violations of their rights by the Russian Federation.
On 14 May, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted an Appeal to the governments and parliaments of foreign states, international organizations, and parliamentary assemblies, calling for comprehensive commemoration of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people and for the consolidation of international efforts to put an end to the systematic violations of the rights and freedoms of Crimean Tatars occurring in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The Appeal reaffirms Ukraine’s commitment to international law and to the foundational UN human rights instruments, as well as to Ukrainian legislation, which recognizes the Crimean Tatars as an Indigenous people of Ukraine and acknowledges the genocide committed by the Soviet regime in 1944.
The document highlights the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Ukraine v. Russia (regarding Crimea), adopted on 25 June 2024. In this decision, the ECHR recognized the Russian Federation’s responsibility for widespread and systematic human rights violations in Crimea, including:
- ethnic-based discrimination;
- persecution for religious beliefs;
- restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly;
- politically motivated imprisonment;
- and the ban on the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.
The Parliament also draws attention to the U.S. Department of State’s Crimean Declaration, which reaffirms the United States’ non-recognition of the Russian Federation’s attempted annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, and declares a long-term policy of refusing to acknowledge any territorial claims seized by force in violation of international law.
The Parliament of Ukraine expresses gratitude to the countries that have already recognized the 1944 deportation as an act of genocide — namely Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and the Czech Republic — and calls on other states to join this historically significant process.
On behalf of the Ukrainian people, the Parliament expresses solidarity with all compatriots in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, especially those who continue to resist the occupation regime. It reaffirms that the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar peoples stand united, resolutely defending their state of Ukraine and tirelessly fighting for the liberation of their native land.
The Parliament of Ukraine called on the international community to intensify support for Ukraine and apply comprehensive pressure on the Russian Federation using all available mechanisms until Russia is compelled to comply with the universally recognized principles of international law. It also urged support for the development of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar studies at leading academic and educational institutions abroad, as well as efforts to preserve and promote the Crimean Tatar language and culture.
The draft Appeal was developed with the direct involvement of the team of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada by Member of Parliament Tamila Tasheva.