Russian occupation authorities of Crimea banned memorial events dedicated to the forcible deportation of Crimean Tatars (the indigenous population of the Black Sea peninsula), under Stalin, according to Ukraine Today.
”As expected, Russian invaders forbid the holding of commemoration events all over the Crimean peninsula that were to take place on May 18,” Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, wrote on Facebook, Ukraine Today reports.
According to Chubarov, Russian occupants are doing their best to make Crimean Tatars participate only in official events organized by Kremlin-backed authorities and their supporters.
The Mejlis (the elected government body of Crimean Tatars) suggested Crimean Tatars would meet near memorial stones, statues, and sites associated with the tragic event that occurred on May 18, 1944.
Crimean Tatars plan to hold a minute of silence to pay tribute to the deportation victims.
There are numerous reports on violations of human rights in the Russia-occupied Crimea. On March 17, Human Rights Watch, a nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organization, published a statement about the harassment, intimidation and arbitrary legal actions against Crimean Tatars, an ethnic minority who openly opposed Russia`s occupation.
