APPEAL
the IV Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people
to U.N.O., OSCE, Council of Europe and European Union
Simferopol, November 11, 2001
We, delegates of National Congress of the Crimean Tatar people, appeal
to the most authoritative and influential organizations in the world and Europe, of which our Motherland
- Crimea - is a part, because, namely in your charters, treaties and documents are fixed and have legal
protection the most important moral and rightful values of the modern world, including human rights and
rights of peoples.
Crimean Tatars - are the indigenous people of the Crimean peninsula, who
suffered during over 200 years from different forms of oppressions and repressions on the basis of national
origin, which are defined as genocide, racial discrimination, apartheid and other outrages on humanity in
the modern world. The culmination of such violence became the total deportation of the Crimean Tatar people,
which was accomplished by the Soviet regime in 1944.
Currently, international organizations already are well familiar with the
content and certain aspects of the problem of restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people.
UN structures engage in human rights protection, including indigenous peoples rights and with the Parliamentary
Assembly of Council of Europe, OSCE has participated in development of recommendations and implementation of
programs directed toward improvement of the situation of the Crimean Tatars’, who are returning to their
historical Motherland from places of deportation. We highly appreciate these efforts.
At the same time the indigenous people of Crimeaare in a situation that does
not correspond to well known standards in the area of human rights protection, which are provided for
by universally recognized international-legal documents.
We think that concerted participation of international organizations in
the comprehensive regulation of the Crimean Tatar problem in Ukraine could become an example of the application
of norms of international law in cases in which their implementation is provided for by proper and
consistent use of all mechanisms that are called for in regulatory statutes of international organizations
the concord of states signatory to these regulations.
In briefly outlining the topics, which need immediate assistance of the
international community to the Crimean Tatar people and Ukrainian state, we note the following:
Crimean Tatar people, who had their own national statehood for
centuries, are equated with the Diaspora of other peoples in Ukraine, which have their own national
states outside. The Constitution of Ukraine provided for a category of indigenous people, which until
now has not be accorded to the Crimean Tatars and this situation allows the local and central bodies
of government to ignore their legal interests. Official recognition of Crimean Tatars as the indigenous
people and fixing of this status in the legislation of Ukraine would provide for their wide internal
self-government in their own land, and would not prejudge the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
Crimean Tatars, who were turned into a minority in their own land
as a result of genocide and deportation, have representation or are not represented properly in state
bodies and local self government of Crimeain proportion to their part in the population of peninsula.
In spite of numerous appeals and proposals to parliament of Ukraine, a constructive decision was not
adopted up to now. In the elections of 2002 the Crimean Tatar people will be again debarred from political
representation and participation in administration.
In spite of the fact that a right to property in Ukraine was
recognized, the issue relating to compensation for the damage that was caused by deportation and fair
compensation for their lost property, including land that was taken from Crimean Tatars, has not be
resolved up to now. Moreover, during process of agrarian reform, most of these lands have already been
given to postwar settlers.
Crimean Tatar language which was for centuries the official
language of an independent state and even during the Soviet regime before deportation in 1944 was recognized
and used as one of the official languages in Crimea, is now denied by the Constitution of the ARC as an
official language and that deprives Crimean Tatar language of its historical prospect. The cultural
heritage of the Crimean Tatar people is up to now under the threat of disappearance. The proper measures
are not being taken to give the Crimean Tatar people itself an opportunity to preserve and develop it.
Crimean Tatars cannot agree that the control over education, development of language and culture of
indigenous people remains in the hands of persons, who are hostile towards the Crimean Tatar people.
There are frequent cases of anti-Tatar propaganda in educational institutions, books, works of art
and Mass Media.
One can conclude from this that national discrimination against the entire
people is long-lasting, though this discrimination is not always a consequence of deliberate policy or the
position of the authorities of Ukraine, and often a consequence of lack of due attention on the part of
the state.
This gives a hope that the assistance of the international community,
which has experience, skills and resources for solution of similar problems, will be perceived with
gratitude not only by Crimean Tatars, but also by the Ukrainian state itself. We ask you to take the
initiative and propose such assistance. In our opinion, it would allow not only improvement in the position
of the Crimean Tatar people and stimulate a democratic path of Ukraine, but also would strengthen international
legal order and peace in the region, and become a positive precedent for many states and peoples.
Adopted at first session
the IV Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people
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