QA-10, 14 April 2016

The Office of Prosecutor of the “Russian Administration in Crimea”, which was occupied and then illegally annexed by the Russian Federation, has filed a lawsuit in order to prohibit the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (MCTP), the legitimate representative body of the Crimean Tatar people. The ongoing case, conducted under occupation conditions, charges the MCTP with being an extremist organization. Meanwhile it is understood that the court has already suspended the activities of the MCTP with an interim decision taken on 13 April until the case is finalized.

We consider this judicial process as yet another link in the chain of suppression and intimidation activities of the de facto authorities in the Peninsula towards the Crimean Tatar people, who are one of the main constituents of Crimea. We will continue to support the protection of the presence of the Crimean Tatar people in the Peninsula and their legitimate rights under all conditions, which was one again targeted by this latest decision of the de facto administration, contradictory to the concept of justice and human rights.