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Resolution of All-Crimean Mourning Meeting, Commemorating Victims of Genocide of Crimean Tatar People
18 May 2012
Resolution of the All-Crimean mourning meeting, commemorating the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people – deportation of May 18, 2012 and the decades of the forcible keeping in places of exile
68 years ago on May 18, 1944 the crime against humanity was committed on Crimean land having its goal to exterminate the Crimean Tatar people – indigenous people of Crimea and one of the most distinctive peoples of a mankind.
68 years ago at night on May 17 – 18, 1944 more than 32 thousand armed officers and soldiers of NKVD started simultaneously the exile of Crimean Tatars in all Crimean settlements. The trucks full of women, old people and children gathered in the rail road stations from all the corners of the peninsular, who then were driven to the freight cars. The over-packed trains, convoyed by the soldiers took Crimean Tatars to the uncertainty, to an imminent death, far away from their Homeland.
The catastrophic consequences of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people from their land and the decades of the forcible keeping in places of exile up to the 80-es of the 20th century still haven’t been overcome.
The process of the return of the whole people hasn’t been completed. Tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars still have to remain in the places of their exile against their will. The overwhelming majority of 260 thousand Crimean Tatars that returned to their Homeland at a price of the incredible hardships lack the elementary facilities for their families.
During the past 20 years following the proclamation of Ukrainian independence no legislation was adopted, regulating issues related to the restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people, and conditions for its revival and preserving in their native land. Moreover, the new laws, adopted in Ukraine create new barriers on their repatriation and resettlement, and deprive them of the hope for the restoration of justice and rights violated.
This couldn’t last any longer!
There is no and can’t be any objective justification and explanations of the lack of the purposeful, open and fair policy in Ukraine towards the Crimean Tatar people.
The future of the Crimean Tatar people, its self-determination on its historical Homeland can’t and mustn’t depend on the moods and whims of the politicians that change each other, but do not care about the future of Ukraine and peoples living here.
Executing the will of the participants of the all-Crimean mourning meeting, held on May 2010, Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people during the past two years aimed all their efforts at involvement of the international community in order to provide assistance to the Crimean Tatar people and Ukrainian state in the return, resettlement and restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people.
At this, we, participants of the all-Crimean mourning meeting, commemorating the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people followed and follow today from the fact that the consolidated assistance of the international community and first of all European states that in the 20th century lived through the Stalin’s and Nazi regimes that brought genocide, violation of the human rights and freedoms, military crimes and crimes against humanity, would let us take the concrete measures to provide assistance to Ukraine in overcoming of the consequences of these crimes – to restore the rights of the Crimean Tatar people and ensure its free development in its native land.
Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people coped with this task – in October 2011 in Kyiv the authorized representatives of the United Nations Organization, European Union, OSCE, governments of the leading European countries, Canada, USA and Turkey supported the initiative of the Crimean Tatar people to hold the International forum on therestoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people to their homeland, its security and guarantees of development in Ukraine.
In his turn, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities sent the corresponding proposal to the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine concerning the holding of the International forum in Autumn 2012 in Kyiv that has its goal to develop and adopt the special international program, promoting the return, resettlement and restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people.
Expressing our gratitude to the international organizations and governments that showed their willingness to assist Ukraine and the Crimean Tatar people, we call the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to take all measures with joint efforts and involvement of the international community in order to ensure the holding of the International forum on therestoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people to their homeland, its security and guarantees of development in Ukrainein 2012.
We, participants of the all-Crimean mourning meeting, remembering and expressing our grieve about the hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars that died in the places of exile, about the thousands of the activists of the Crimean Tatar national movement who fought selflessly for the right of their people to return to their Homeland and restoration of their rights, being aware of our responsibility for the destiny of our people and future of Crimea, keeping to the principles of non-violence, relying on the support of the democratic forces in Ukraine and assistance of the international community, are determined to achieve the restoration of justice and ensuring the democratic development of the independent Ukraine that would also fully respect the rights of its indigenous people.
Adopted on the All-Crimean mourning meeting, commemorating the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people – deportation of May 18, 2012 and decades of forcible keeping in places of exile
