22 October 2024

During the Official Visit of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to Estonia, the Team of the Mission Conducted a Tour of the Exhibition About Crimea

As part of the official visit of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia, the team of the Mission conducted a tour of the exhibition QIRIM IÇÜN / FOR CRIMEA, which opened in the Riigikogu on October 9. The exhibits were presented to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Speaker of the Riigikogu, Lauri Hussar, and members of the Estonian Parliament. The Mission team discussed the concept of the art project, emphasizing the importance of preserving the culture of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, remembering the crimes of the Soviet totalitarian regime, and the contemporary struggle of the Crimean Tatars for their right to live on their own land. The exhibition featured High Price to Pay / Ağır sınavlarğa baqmadan, works by Crimean Tatar artists, the Deportation Diary, sketches on the history of the Crimean Tatars, and a series of photographs titled “Resistance” about Crimean Tatar soldiers currently defending Ukraine on the front lines and fighting for the liberation of Crimea.

It is worth recalling that the exhibition is dedicated to the complex history of the Crimean Tatar people—one of Ukraine’s Indigenous Peoples. Its opening was linked to the submission of a statement to the Riigikogu, made to mark the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars. On October 16, 83 members of the Riigikogu recognized the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people by the Soviet regime as an act of genocide.

This art project was first unveiled at the Office of the Crimea Platform during the events commemorating the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People in May 2024.

The opening of the exhibition in the Riigikogu was organized by the Mission/Office of the Crimea Platform in cooperation with the Estonian Parliament and the Embassy of Ukraine in Estonia. We would like to thank all the partners involved in this initiative, including the Partnership Fund for a Resilient  Ukraine, the British Embassy Kyiv, the ZMINA Human Rights Center, SE Crimean House, the Congress of Ukrainians in Estonia, TRO Media, the media initiative Crimea Daily, and the Crimean Tatar restaurant Musafir.