Jun 16, 2014

Crimean Tatars: US Echoes Mejlis’ Concerns


The United States has taken a stance on the situation of the Crimean Tatars, calling the discrimination and violence in the peninsula a violation of basic human rights. The U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine echoes the concerns of the Mejlis in this regard. 

Below is an article posted by the The First Channel:

The United States is concerned about the cases of the disappearance of Crimean Tatars in Russia-occupied Crimea and is calling for an end to violence against civilians, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said on his page on Twitter.

"We echo Mejlis's concern on 'disappearances' of Crimean Tatars and call on occupying authorities to stop the violence," he wrote. The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people on Thursday appealed to the UN, the OSCE and the international community in general with the request to reinforce their efforts to prevent the escalation of violence against the civilian population in Crimea. In particular, the appeal mentions the cases of kidnapping and disappearance of people that are not investigated by the relevant authorities. "The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people evaluates these acts of violence against civilians in Crimea as acts of intimidation of the Crimean society, and the failure to uncover them as evidence of the current government ignoring basic human rights to their own lives and safety of their loved ones," reads the statement.