Mejlis Leader Mustafa Jemilev Will Meet Senator of Upper House of Czech Parliament Jaromír Štětina

23 April 2013

On April 25, 2013 the Leader of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Jemilev visited the Senate of the Czech Parliament and met with the SenatorJaromír Štětina – the former well-known Czech journalist and human rights advocate. During his active professional activity the SenatorJaromír Štětina has been to almost every “hot point” in the post-Soviet territory.

In addition, the Senator is the member of the Parliamentary committee on the international issues, defense and security. He is also the member of the Committee for democracy in the world.

The meeting was attended by the Head of the Department of foreign relations Ali Hamzin, Head of the Association of Crimean Tatars in Kyiv Aslan Omer Qirimli and delegate of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar people Rustem Umerov, as well as the political advisor of the Czech Embassy to Ukraine Luboš Veselý.

During the meeting the parties exchanged opinions on the political situation in Ukraine and the modern situation with the Crimean Tatar people in Crimea, as well as in Ukraine in the whole. The situation was generally described as discriminating.

According to Mejlis’ Leader M.Jemilev, the last events in Crimea, when the local authorities, chaired by the Head of the Crimean government A.Mogilev makes attempts to isolate Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and split Crimean Tatars, could be described as dangerous and provocative. “All this causes the reasonable threat to the destiny of the Crimean Tatar people in Ukraine and the future carrying out of the International forum on the restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people in their Homeland, ensuring their security and guaranteeing their development in Ukraine,”- Mejlis’ Leader noted.

The Senator Jaromír Štětina, known for his former human rights advocacy activity in Caucasus, especially during the Chechen wars, expressed his extreme surprise about the present hard situation with Crimean Tatars in Ukraine that tries to position itself as the democratic European state.

The Czech politician also supported the idea of creation of the Crimean platform in Poland that could play the role of the informative platform, providing the objective information on the present development of the Crimean Tatar people to the international democratic community.

In conclusion of the meeting Mustafa Jemilev invited the Senator Jaromír Štětina to visit Crimea in any appropriate time.