Annual Mourning Meeting Was Held in Simferopol in the Framework of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism

23 August 2011

On August 23, 2011 the annual mourning meeting was held in Salgirka Park next to the memorial to the victims of deportation of the Crimean Tatar people in Simferopol in the framework of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazismto Preserve the Memory of the Victims of Mass Deportation and Exterminations.

In pursuance of the Decision of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people of August 8, 2011 and Resolution of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly of July 3, 2009 “Reunion of Segregated Europe: promotion for Human Rights and civil freedoms in the region of the OSCE in the 21^stcentury” and commemorating millions of victims, suffered by the peoples of Europe from crimes, committed by Communist and Nazi regimes, since August 23, 2009 Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people organizes annually the mourning meeting in Simferopol, attended by the representatives of various public and political organizations.

This year more than 300 people took part in the mourning meeting, commemorating the victims of Nazism – Stalinism. The organizer of the meeting was Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people in co-operation with Ukrainian national-democratic associations.

The meeting was attended by members of Mejlis, representatives of many regional mejlises, members of the Ukrainian National Party, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, People’s Union “Our Ukraine”, various Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian public organizations, veterans of the Crimean Tatar movement and youth.

The participants of the meeting held the national Crimean Tatar and state flags, symbolics of political and public organizations, European Union, as well as slogans in Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian and English languages: “23 avgust – natsızım ve stalinizım qurbanlarının butünavropa hatıra kunü. Kütleviy sürgünlıkler ve aqsız olüm cezası qurbanları aqqında hatıra saqlamaq kunüdır” –  «23 серпня– Загальноевропейський День пам’яті жертв сталінізму і нацизму в ім’я збереження пам’яті про жертви масових депортацій і страт» – «On the 23 of August the whole Europe commemorates the Day of the victims of the Nazism and Stalinizm in order to save the memory of the victims of mass deportations and political executions», «Нетвозрождениютоталитарныхрежимов!», “КПСС=SS”.

The First Deputy Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, President of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars Refat Chubarov opened the mourning meeting. He reminded that on August 23, 1939 the pact “Ribbentrop – Molotov” was ratified that demonstrated unification of two totalitarian states and two misanthropic ideologies, such as Nazism and Communism. “The results of this union is commonly known – Europe faced with the catastrophe, hundreds of millions of people were killed, tens of peoples were subjected to total deportation from their territories and put to the brink of extermination, – Refat Chubarov continued. Today, in the 21^stcentury the united Europe is trying to exclude any possibility of repeating of such tragedies once and for all”.

According to the First Deputy Chairman of Mejlis R.Chubarov, people who live in Crimea and know the dramatic history of this region that suffered the crimes of both Nazism and Communism, can’t help reminding the society about the common tragedy. “On this day our human’s duty is to show our unity with European countries, – R.Chubarov stressed. Once again we confirm that Crimean society and Ukraine in the whole is an integral part of Europe”.

After the opening of the meeting the common prayer for the memory of the victims of mass deportations and exterminations was carried out by Imam of Kebir Jami of Simferopol Niyazi Ramazanov and Roman Catholic priest Maxim Mazno.

Vasil Ovcharuk, the Head of Crimean organization of the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists was one of the speakers at the mourning meeting. He underscored that people mustn’t forget the scale of the crimes, committed by two despotic regimes of the 20^thcentury – Communism and Nazism. “Today our duty is to prevent repeating of the tragedies and catastrophes, committed by these anti-human regimes and strive to achieve an adequate democratic level of life in the whole Ukraine and Crimea,” – V.Ovcharuk said.

The word was also given to the Head of Crimean organization of Ukrainian National Party Oleg Fomushkin, Head of Crimean organization “People’s Union “Our Ukraine” Vladislav Khmelovsky, veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement Ali Riza Dagdzhy, representative of Crimean Tatar youth organization “Yashlar Shurasy” Niyara Nagaeva and Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Studying of Genocide of the Crimean Tatar people Elvedin Chubarov.

In his turn, the First Deputy Chairman of Mejlis, Head of the Parliamentary faction in the VR ARC “Qurultay – Rukh” R.Chubarov noted that unfortunately today the majority of Ukrainian politicians not only understands all the depth of the catastrophes, committed by the misanthropic ideologies, including on the territory of Ukraine, but keep on justifying “Stalinism and Stalin” finding the objective reasons to the crimes committed.

In conclusion Refat Chubarov read the draft resolution of All-Crimean mourning meeting, dedicated to the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazismto Preserve the Memory of the Victims of Mass Deportation and Exterminations, that was unanimously adopted by all participants of the meeting.