DOCUMENT: TATAR94.TXT U N I T E D N A T I O N S KIRIM TATAR MILLI MECLISI MEJLIS OF THE CRIMEAN TATAR PEOPLE The statement of the representative of MEJLIS OF THE CRIMEAN TATAR PEOPLE at the 12th session of the Working Group on the Indigenous population to the U.N.O. July 1994 Crimean Tatars - the Indigenous People of Crimea have been formed on the territory of the peninsula during a thousand years as the result of interrelation and mixing of aboriginals and different tribes, settled in the Crimea. The State system of Crimean Tatar people - the Crimean Khanate - was abolished in 1783 as a result of annexation of the Crimea by the Russian empire. Since that time the Indigenous People have become the object of innumerable repressions, political, economic, cultural, religious and other opressions on the Russian empire's part and the communist regime then. The total population was reduced from 2.5 million in 1783 to 130,000 in 1921, owing to the permanent violence, while its territory was thoroughly settled by colonists. In May 1944, the Crimean Tatar people were subjected to total deportation from the Crimea to the regions of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Ural and Siberia. It was an act of genocide and as a result of it more than 46% total Crimean Tatar's population was eliminated because of violence, hunger and drudgery. Hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars were deprived of their Homeland, habitation, property and lands. After the deportation of the Indigenous people from the Crimea, the social, cultural and material facilities and establishments were destroyed by the state; historical toponomy was changed and anti-Tatar racist propaganda was carried out. During the last years it has become possible for some deported Tatars to return to their native land, but that process is hampered by the Crimean authorities which impose on inhabitants, who have been settled in Crimea after the deportation of Crimean Tatar people, a policy alien to its interests. The Crimean authorities failed to take the necessary measures for the restoration of rights of the returning Indigenous People to their native land. Crimean Tatars are awfully discriminated against, collectively, individually, and at the national level. Recently the difficult situation of the Crimean Tatar people is becoming complicated because of the fact that the administration of the Crimea follows the separatist policy against the will of the Indigenous People in order to take out the peninsula from the Ukrainian jurisdiction and join Russia. Thereby the violation of principles of national and territorial integrity has taken place. Those actions create the real threat for the beginnings of interstate conflict on the ethnic territory of the Crimean Tatar people. From the 500,000 people living in the former USSR only half of them have returned to the Crimea. The Crimean Tatars are not compensated for material and spiritual damage, caused by their deportation. Their political rights have not yet been rehabilitated including the right of national self- determination. Their culture is also in a catastrophic situation, such kind of conflict could exclude the perspective of revival and further development of the Indigenous people of the Crimea. We are firmly convinced that it is impossible to solve the "Crimean problem" without just settlement of Crimean Tatar problems. The basis of that decision should be a package of legal acts, which is necessary to work out by all the interested parties and should be adopted by the Ukrainian parliament. We reaffirm our complete readiness to take part in that work and we shall make every effort in order to avoid further heavy consequences of one of the monstrous crimes of XX ages: the genocide against the Crimean Tatar people. We are very interested in cooperating with international organizations, both which are a part of the United Nations Organization as well as non-governmental organizations, especially with the organizations of the Indigenous peoples. We consider the cause of the defense of the human rights of the Indigenous Peoples as one of our main tasks and we seek to cooperate with all those who share that point of view to the problem. OUR CONTACTS: Ukraine, Zhidkova str. 40, Simferopol Crimea, 333039 ph/fax: (0652)25-83-43 ph/fax: (06554)4-39-70 Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People The Chairman: Mr. Mustafa Jemilev (Crimoglu) The Deputy of the Chairman: Mr. Refat Chubarov The Head of Department on the political and legal issues Mr. Nadir Bekirov -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: -= THE FOURTH WORLD DOCUMENTATION PROJECT =- :: :: A service provided by :: :: The Center For World Indigenous Studies :: :: www.cwis.org :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Originating at the Center for World Indigenous Studies, Olympia, Washington USA www.cwis.org © 1999 Center for World Indigenous Studies (All Rights Reserved. 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