Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This day was founded by the United Nations to raise awareness and protect the indigenous peoples’ rights, as they often face the threat of assimilation and suffer from different forms of discrimination.
A stark example of this is the situation with Crimean Tatars in Crimea, occupied by Russia. Thousands of this ethnic minority’s representatives have been forced to leave the peninsula due to the persecution by the occupant. According to Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova, at the moment, the Russian Federation persecutes 93 Crimean Tatars for political reasons. Our infographic offers more info on the political persecution against Crimean Tatars by the Kremlin.
The key instrument of de-occupation of Crimea is the restoration of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine’s rights, as emphasized by member of the Mejlis and Head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center Eskender Bariyev. The Crimea Platform, a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine for the de-occupation of Crimea, is aimed at just that. Read our analysis of the platform.