Ban of the Mejlis
Ban of the Mejlis and systematic oppressions of the Crimean Tatars structures, religious and cultural organisations as well as media have ruined the entire system of national institutions of the Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea. These actions of Russia constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, a manifestation of racial discrimination. They are an element of the large-scale intimidation and harassment campaign against those who did not agree with the occupation of the Autonomous Republic Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The above-mentioned steps of the occupation authorities have become an element of the discreditation campaign against the Crimean Tatars aimed to describe them as potentially dangerous social group inclined to extremist actions, while the Crimean Tatar representative institutions as criminal communities that try to destabilize the situation in the peninsula. It was made to ruin the system of Crimean Tatar national institutions and to outlaw their national leaders as well as 2,500 members of local mejlises.
In particular, the occupation authorities have banned the leader of Crimean Tatars people Mustafa Dzhemilev from entering Crimea until 2034. Moreover, in 2020 the occupants initiated criminal cases against him under three articles of the Russian Criminal Code: art. 322 part 3 «Illegal crossing of the State Border of the Russian Federation, committed by a group of persons by previous concert, or by an organised group»; art. 224 «Careless keeping of firearms, creating the possibility of their use by another person, if this entails grave consequences»; art 222 «The illegal manufacture, remaking or repair of fire arms and of their major components».
On 1 June 2021, the so-called «Supreme Court of Crimea» sentenced in absentia to imprison Mr. Refat Chubarov for 6 years.
On 20 April 2021, Russian occupation authorities fined the editor-in-chief of the «Qirim» newspaper Bekir Mamutov for publishing a report of UN Secretary General where the Crimean Tatar Majlis was mentioned.
Ban of the Mejlis in April 2016 has «legitimised» the oppressions of civil, political and cultural rights of the Crimean Tatars.
The occupation authorities regularly fabricate political motivated criminal cases to display the Mejlis as allegedly extremist organization. The oppressions of representatives of national institutions of the Crimean Tatars are based on fabricated charges such as harbouring of extremists, acts of sabotage, extortion, possession of drugs and weapons etc. During the occupation, more than hundreds of people have been persecuted for taking part in the events dedicated to the Crimean Tatar Flag Day or to the anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars on 18 May. The freedom of speech and assembly of the members of the Mejlis that is foreseen by international instruments for ensuring the human rights is widely violated.
Ban of the Mejlis activities combined with mass persecutions of political leaders, activists, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, as well as other representatives of the Crimean Tatar people is an open manifestation of discrimination.
Ukraine initiated in the International Court of Justice the case against the Russian Federation in 2017 and asked the ICJ to adopt respective provisional measures. 19 April 2017 the ICJ has adopted the order that required Russia, among other things, to «refrain from maintaining or imposing limitations on the ability of the Crimean Tatar community to preserve its representative institutions, including the Mejlis». Russia ignores this order for more than 4 years.