Crimean Tatars: Deteriorating Security and Human Rights Situation
On Wednesday 1 October 2014, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights addressed the deteriorating security and human rights situation of the Crimean Tatars in Crimea and called it his “biggest concern”. He claims that the Crimean Tatars are under threat by frequent raids of armed and masked security personnel entering their public and private spaces.
Below is an article published by Radio Free Europe:
The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Nils Muiznieks, says his "biggest concern" in Ukraine is the plight of Crimean Tatars who have remained in Crimea since it was annexed by Russia in March.
Muiznieks made the remarks to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on October 1.
He said security for ethnic Tatars in Crimea "has been shattered by a series of raids by armed, masked security personnel in religious institutions, schools, Tatar-owned businesses, private homes," and the community's assembly, the Mejlis.
Muiznieks said the raids -- ostensibly "to search for weapons or so-called extremist literature" – are "completely disproportionate" for a community that has no history of violence.
He said internally displaced Ukrainians remain "vulnerable," with receptions that differ widely depending on where they have settled.
The UN says 350,000 internally displaced Ukrainians are from the country's east and 18,000 are from Crimea.
