PROBLEMS OF REPATRIATION, SETTLEMENT AND RESTORATION OF THE RIGHTS OF CRIMEAN TATAR PEOPLE IN UKRAINE

(brief review of Center of Information and Documentation of Crimean Tatars)

Prehistory of the question.

Crimean Tatars are indigenous people of Crimea. The process of ethnogeny of Crimean Tatar people, as well as any other ethnos of the present, is extremely complicated. During the centuries, Crimea due to the favourable geographical location played the important role in history of many peoples of West and East, North and South. Crimea was within peculiar corridor, located to the north of the Black sea, by which from Asia to Europe moved huge migratory flows. Some part of these human waves from time to time settled in Crimea, mixing with those who lived on the peninsula. In mixture of different cultures and languages had been formed the Crimean Tatar ethnos, which subsequently established one of the powerful states in the history of Europe - The Crimean Khanate.

Most historians agree that in the ethnogeny of Crimean Tatar people participated descendants of ancient ethnically inhomogeneous tribes, inhabited on the Crimean peninsula during different periods: Kimmers, Tavrs, Skiffes, Alans, Gotts, Gunns, Khazars, Genuees, Turks, Nogays. During the Soviet regime, the official historiography encouraged the circulation of works only those historians, who, ignoring the scientific facts, considered the appearance of Crimean Tatars in Crimea to the XIII century. Such point of view served as one of the Soviet regime's grounds for refusal to Crimean Tatars back from their deportation places to the Motherland.

Crimean Tatar language belongs to the group of Turkic languages. Crimean Tatars are Muslims.

Formed in 1433 Crimean Khanate existed till 1783, when the Russian empire annexed the territory of Crimea. The Russian empire's frank policy of colonization towards indigenous people of Crimea resulted during next years to mass migration of Crimean Tatars from Crimea, at the same time, the compulsory expropriation of lands caused to impetuous decline of economic independence of remained Crimean Tatars.

In 1917, during break-up of the Russian empire, Crimean Tatars conducted the National Congress - Kurultay, where elected their own government and proclaimed the intention to unite with political organizations of other national communities of Crimea with purpose to create a democratic society on the peninsula. The establishment of a communist dictatorship did not let to realize the plans, because of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar government, and also other democratic organizations of Crimea have been executed. In 1920, the Soviet regime was established in Crimea, in first years of which communists had to consider the aspiration of the Crimean Tatar people for freedom. In October 1921, they gave a status of autonomy to Crimea. However, already, since 1926, they started intentional repressions against Crimean Tatars. Thus, in the beginning of the 1930-th, they announced the dozens thousands of Crimean Tatars as class enemies and deported to Ural, as well physically executed the Crimean Tatar intelligence from the middle of the 1930-th to the beginning of the 1940-th years.

In May 1944, the whole Crimean Tatar people was subjected to violent deportation from the historical Motherland. Soviet government used an unjust accusation of Crimean Tatar people in collaboration with German authorities during the Second World War as a formal occasion to justify its criminal actions. While the dozens thousands men - Crimean Tatars consisting of Soviet troops were fighting against fascists, their families, close and natives by the Stalin's order under an escort of NKVD forces were deported from Crimea. The eviction of the people was accompanied by illegal expropriation of a personal property, houses, and lands. In 1945, the Crimean autonomy was abolished and Crimea again has become a region. During several years, after the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people, they renamed all towns and villages, and demolished completely all Muslim cemeteries in Crimea.

In first years of a deportation, more than 46% Crimean Tatars were dead because of starvation, illnesses and mockeries, mainly in Uzbekistan and other regions of Central Asia, places of deportation. Up to 1956, military commandants and law acts regulated the living conditions of Crimean Tatars in places of special settlements. Some of the rules laid down in places of special settlements, were identical to fascist ones in Jewish ghetto. Thus, every Crimean Tatar was obliged to pass a personal registration in commandant's office monthly, for visiting other settlements, including the natives' funeral, the special sanction of military authorities was required as well. They punished for departing from the specified rules by 25 years of penal servitude works.

The struggle of the Crimean Tatar people for repatriation to Motherland and restoration of the rights continued up to collapse of USSR. Being one of the most mass national movements on territory of former USSR, the Crimean Tatar national movement was closely connected with general dissidents' movement for human rights in former USSR, actively acted against suppression of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet regime in 1968, a military aggression of USSR against Afghanistan. Simultaneously, the people of other nationalities - Ukrainians, Russians, Jews made a significant contribution to protection of the rights of Crimean Tatar people. The Soviet government pursued severely the activists of Crimean Tatar national movement – the hundreds of Crimean Tatars were thrown to the Soviet prisons, dozens were executed.

The mass repatriation of the Crimean Tatar people to the Motherland became possible at the end of the 1980-th, during liberalization of a political regime in USSR. However, despite of the declarations, the state bodies of former USSR in every possible way limited an opportunity of repatriation of the people and tried to come to nothing more than half-measures, including allocation of lands for housing construction at the repatriates’ expense. Simultaneously, they began to practice a wide allocation of lands for inhabitants in Crimea. Such behaviour of the authorities, on the one hand, only greatly increased a number of returnees (effect of the "closing doors"), and on the other hand - forced them to occupy without permission free lands for housing construction. The communist party machine existing in that period in Crimea intensively continued a purposeful anti-Tatar propagation among the inhabitants of Crimea. Just this reason, in 1989-1991 caused to a number of pogroms of new Crimean Tatars' settlements in Crimea, which were organized by the Crimean authorities with attraction of civilians. Only after strengthening of new authorities’ positions of independent Ukraine in Crimea (after 1994), the Crimean authorities made more rarely the open anti-Tatar statements.

At the same time, ruling communist political elite in Crimea, actively exploited a separative moods of ethnic Russians, constituting more than 60% of Crimea population, has achieved from Kiev giving to the Crimean oblast the status of autonomy. The Crimean authorities actively used and using new powers for restriction of opportunities for political, social, economic and cultural integration of Crimean Tatars coming back.

Situation on repatriation of Crimean Tatars

The question of national integrity of Crimean Tatar ethnos. According to different estimations of a number of Crimean Tatars, living on territory of former USSR and wishing to come back to the historical Motherland, constituting about 450-500 thousands persons. About 260,000 Crimean Tatars could return to Crimea.

The settlement’s issues. By 01.01.99, 128,638 of Crimean Tatars came back to Crimea have no dwelling.

Out of 136.623 men of able-bodied age - 71.379 Crimean Tatars are unemployed.

The most Crimean Tatar returnees settle about in 300 new settlements. The supplying of Crimean Tatar settlements with the electricity (electric systems) is 75%, and water supply (waterpipe) - 27%. Practically, there are no roads with a firm covering in these settlements, no schools and medical institutions. The lack of elementary conditions of life in Crimean Tatars’ settlements resulted to sharp growth of sickness rate and death rate among repatriates. At the same time for realization of works on a construction necessary electric systems and waterpipes in settlements of Crimean Tatars is required as a minimum 60 million gryvnas (about 12 million US dollars).

Financing of Crimean Tatars' settlement. The settlement of Crimean Tatars coming back from places of deportation is carried out at the expense of own repatriates' efforts and with assistance of government of Ukraine. All other states - members of CIS, from which territories come back Crimean Tatars, self-removed from participation in the process of repatriation of Crimean Tatars. The financing of Crimean Tatars' settlement from the state budget for 1996-1999 years is characterized by the following figures: 1996 - 8,1 million gryvnas, 1997 - 12,8 million gryvnas, 1998 - 8,29 million gryvnas, 1999 -13,5 million gryvnas.

The solidary help of the international intergovernmental and NGOs for ten years of returning constituted about 10 millions dollars.

Problems of a cultural revival. During 45 years, Crimean Tatars were deprived the right to teach children in the native language, to develop other institutes of national culture. Thus, a revival begins practically with deportation mark in many cases. In this connection, the opening of schools with Crimean Tatar language of teaching is simultaneously required a writing and edition of the textbooks in Crimean Tatar language (which were not published for 50 years!), training of the teachers of Crimean Tatar language. Currently, there are only 6 schools with Crimean Tatar language of teaching in Crimea. The degree of russification of Crimean Tatars gains the precarious scales.

Ten years ago, Crimean Tatars revived the music-drama national theatre in Simferopol. The material base of Crimean Tatar theatre continues to remain in extremely distress.

Only two newspapers in Crimean Tatar language are issued in Crimea, which are published weekly by the small circulations. Total volume of a broadcast television in Crimean Tatar language constitutes one hour 15 minutes weekly.

The legal issue of the process of repatriation and restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people.

This issue is one of the most urgent and simultaneously unsolved aspects of Crimean Tatars problem. Unfortunately, up to now no one law was accepted yet, which would regulate legal issues connected with the process of repatriation and restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people. The lack of legislative base reduces an efficiency of Ukrainian government's efforts in solution of the practical questions of settlement, and also creates the additional problems in economic, legal and political integration of Crimean Tatars to the Ukrainian society. The most urgent question is a Crimean Tatars' representation in representative and executive bodies of government in Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The importance of the solution of the specified problems for Crimean Tatars is obvious, because for period of forcible retaining in deportation places, the cardinal demographic and ethnic changes took place in Crimea. The majority of the non-Tatar population of Crimea has still anti-Crimean Tatar stereotypes. Thus, the elective bodies of local authority do not support the many actual questions of a development for Crimean Tatars. During forming of the representative bodies of the Crimean autonomy, the representatives of Crimean Tatars practically have no chances practically to be elected to these bodies by usual system of election, because the authorities intentionally settled Crimean Tatars coming back, that they could not have a numerical superiority in any region of Crimea in comparison with other part of population. So, in Supreme Council of autonomy elected by majority system among 100 deputies only one is ethnic Crimean Tatar. However his election become possible only because he claimed himself as "communist, who has no any national interests", and was supported by non-Tatar electorate.

The representatives of the ethnic majority boycott any proposals of Crimean Tatars, directed to a creation of the legal mechanisms ensuring the real representation of the Crimean Tatar people in bodies of government in Crimea. Thus, the well thought-out policy of non-admission of Crimean Tatars to bodies of government of autonomy equally with other ethnic communities of Crimea, contributes to self-isolation of Crimean Tatars, increasing a growth of estrangement between the peoples and their opposition. The complex of the acts directed as on restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people, as a consistency of the rights and interests of all people living in Crimea approved by Ukraine, may and must become as the solution. Thus, the good political will and desires of the members of parliament of Ukraine are extremely important at this stage. Currently, the committees of Supreme Council of Ukraine consider the bill "On the status of the Crimean Tatar people in Ukraine", which should be considered by parliament till summer of 2000. However, already now one can predict the negative attitude of the left fractions to mentioned bill and, first of all, on the part of Communist fraction. At the same time, the failure of this bill can be a last drop in a thicket of patience of Crimean Tatars and radicalize significantly their actions.

The lack of the fundamental laws on restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people creates the new problems, which could be avoided. These problems appear in citizenship, pursuing land reform, privatization of state property and other spheres. At the same time, they did not determine the legal forms, mechanisms and terms of compensation of the material damaging as to the whole Crimean Tatar people, as to everyone, who was subjected to deportation or heirs. One should to notice, that for a deportation from Crimea, more than 80 thousand houses of Crimean Tatars were illegally withdrawn. A lot of the houses was kept, but were given to other people by state. It is clear, that these people cannot and are not to be responsible for criminal actions of state bodies of former USSR, but should to accept these nuances during the preparation of the bills.

Difficulties of dialogue.

The relationship of the Crimean Tatar people with official bodies of the government is characterized ambiguously at different stages of a development of independent Ukraine. However, the main thing is the desire of the state to assist to repatriation and settlement of Crimean Tatars on the native lands and practical steps of the government in this direction. Other issue – is a discussion on legal status of the Crimean Tatar people in Ukraine. This question has very different approaches of Ukrainian political elite - from desire to assimilate totally coming back Crimean Tatars to a support of the idea of the national-territorial status of the Crimean autonomy in structure of Ukraine as the form of self-determination of the Crimean Tatar people.

From our point of view, the unwillingness of state bodies to recognize de jure the traditional elective national institutes of the Crimean Tatar people – Kurultay, which forming Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people as representative bodies of the indigenous people of Crimea in the relations with state bodies of Ukraine, prevented and prevents to reproach the positions in searches of a optimal decisions for all parties in very polyhedral problem of repatriation, settlement and restoration of the rights of the whole people. Until the state will not create such conditions and legal mechanisms of relationship with Crimean Tatar people, which will ensure preservation and development of its original culture, language, traditions and religion in structure of the Ukrainian state.

It is necessary to note especially, that the more fruitful and consecutive relations of state bodies of Ukraine with Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people relating to the President of Ukraine and structures of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. At the same time, the bodies of representative authority of the Crimean autonomy demonstrate especially negative perception of national institutes of the Crimean Tatar people as the partners for mutual work. In Supreme Council of Ukraine as the opponents of restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people act openly the fractions of the left parties, especially the People’s deputies - members of Communist party of Ukraine.

The right and right-center fractions of the Supreme Council of Ukraine going to fruitful dialogue with Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.