Nine years ago, on April 26, 2016, the Russian occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea designated the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people as an «extremist organization» and unlawfully banned its activities.

This prohibition constituted yet another attempt by the occupants to discredit the Crimean Tatar community, to eradicate the national identity of all indigenous peoples of Crimea, and to force them to abandon their culture, language, and traditions.

The actions of the Russian occupation authorities demonstrated the Kremlin regime’s blatant disregard for the norms and principles of international law, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The ban on the Mejlis has not broken the spirit of freedom of the Crimean Tatar people. Despite enduring repression and imprisonment, for eleven long years, they have continued their steadfast struggle for their legitimate right to live peacefully on their ancestral land. Currently, 224 prisoners of conscience — among them 134 Crimean Tatars — are unlawfully held by the Russian occupation forces in the prisons of the occupied peninsula, persecuted solely based on their ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or political convictions.

Moscow’s attempts to eradicate the Crimean Tatar people, to uproot them from their homeland, and to deprive them of their right to a home are not unprecedented in history. However, the Russian occupation is temporary, while the aspiration of Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians, and all residents of Crimea to live freely on their native land is eternal.

As in previous years, and until the full de-occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula, our position remains unwavering: Crimea is Ukraine.

No matter how long it may take, the occupation will end, and justice will be restored. The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people will resume their lawful activities in Crimea, and all those responsible for persecution and repression will be held accountable by international law.