Crimean Tatars: Suffer from Discrimination
The president of the Foundation for the Study and Support of Native Peoples of the Crimea, Nadir Bekirov, announced at a press conference in Kiev that Ukraine is turning into a racist state in relation to the Crimean Tatars
The president of the Foundation for the Study and Support
of Native Peoples of the Crimea, Nadir Bekirov, announced at a press conference
in Kiev that Ukraine is “turning into a racist state” in relation
to the Crimean Tatars, according to a November 17, 2005 report by the Ukrainian
web-based news agency Forum. Mr. Bekirov cited what he considered the unfair
position of local authorities towards attempts by Crimean Tatars, who were exiled
en mass from their native land by Stalin, to get some of their property back
by squatting on what is now extremely valuable real estate. A November 18 article in the local supplement to the Russian
national daily Kommersant cited Mr. Bekirov as complaining about racist violence
directed against his people by local Cossacks and skinheads. A clash between
Crimean Tatars and skinheads at a Simferopol night club in March 2004 resulted
in only Crimean Tatars having charges filed against them. According to Mr. Bekirov,
this allows neo-Nazis to “feel impunity” for their actions.
