Mustafa Jemilev Was Awarded a Prize «For Service to the Turkic World»

26 September 2011

Association of Writers and Arts Workers of Turkey has awarded the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, famous human rights advocate Mustafa Jemilev with the prize «For service to the Turkic world».

Mustafa Jemilev’s ideas on the resolution of the Crimean Tatar issues based on the non-violence principle, as well as his initiatives to unite and cooperate with brotherly countries and nations have been highly appreciated in Turkey.

Thus, April 5, 2011, the commission to approve the award winners headed by the Rector of the Fırat University, Prof.Dr. Fevzi Bingöl, decided to award the prize for 2010 to the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, MP Mustafa Jemilev.

“It was unanimously decided to award the prize for 2010 to the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Jemilev. In the 21st century, when human values and rights are above all, unfortunately, majority of the Turkic peoples suffer violence and injustice. The Crimean Tatars are one of these peoples. And the leader of the Crimean Tatar people is Mustafa Jemilev, who became a legend during his lifetime and diligently fights for the freedom of his people and democracy,” reads the commission’s decision.

The awarding ceremony of the prize ‘For service to the Turkic world 2010’ has taken place at the Elâzığ Municipality Centre of Culture on September 24. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Elâzığ Süleyman Selmanoğlu, Rector of the Fırat University Fevzi Bingöl, the Chairman of the Eurasia Writer’s Association Yakup Deliömeroğlu, as well as foreign writers, poets, representatives of mass media and others.

The event began with a documentary film about life and work of Mustafa Jemilev.

In his speech, Mr. Jemilev told about the Deportation of the Crimean Tatar people, struggle for the return home and current Crimean Tatar problems.

“Thanks Allah, we are not alone in this struggle. There are you. There are wonderful people like you. To tell the truth, I have recently come to know that in 1976 during my 303-day hunger strike, meetings were organized in Elâzığ in my support. And when people heard about my alleged death, they performed a funeral prayer,” he said.

“I thank the residents of Elâzığ for the fact that notwithstanding so much time have passed, they did not forget about me and awarded the prize ‘For service to the Turkic world,” the Crimean Tatar leader emphasized.

Reference: The prize ‘For service to the Turkic world’ was founded in 2003 in order to perpetuate names of public figures, scientists, arts workers, who came to the fore in the Turkic world. Among the former laureates of the prize are a Soviet and Kyrgyz author Chyngyz Aitmatov, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, the founder and the first president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Rauf Denktaş and the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA).

Esma Kasar

Dilâra Tabaq – Aliye Bekir

QHA