Moscow stunned by CoE claims of discrimination against Tatars, Ukrainians in Crimea
2 April 2014, 20:08 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a commentary over a statement by the Council of Europe's European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) about the infringement of the rights of Tatars and Ukrainian speakers in Crimea, Interfax reports.
"We are stunned and bewildered by the ECRI statement about the alleged discrimination against Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea, citing credible claims on that score," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.
"As you know, the measures being taken since the formation of the new Russia constituent regions are aimed at restoring an entire complex of political, socio-economic and cultural rights of representatives of all ethnicities inhabiting Crimea. Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar are recognized as the official languages in the republic," the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry also expressed concern over the Commission ignoring instances of discrimination against Russian speakers in Ukraine. "Against this backdrop, we are disappointed by the Commission's demonstrative silence in the face of well-known, including media-reported, facts of violence and discrimination against non-Ukrainians, primarily, Russian-speaking residents, on the part of the 'new Kyiv authorities.'
We hope the ECRI will make sure that Kyiv complies with its call to oppose discrimination against Russian speakers and representatives of other national, ethnic, language and religious minorities," the foreign ministry said.
Crimea’s reunification with Russia to open new opportunities for Crimean Tatars
Crimea’s reunification with Russia would open new opportunities for Crimean Tatars to build a new life on their own land, the head of the Russian Council of Muftis stresses. Now that Crimea has become part of Russia, Crimean Tatars will be able to return the mosques and Islamic schools that were once taken away from them under a Russian law on the transition of cult property owned by the state or municipal bodies to religious organizations.
The Muslim community in Crimea is strong enough to withstand radical pseudo-Islamic religious trends and protect ordinary Muslims from their influence, said Ravil Gainutdin, head of the Russian Council of Muftis who has just returned from a trip to Crimea.
He said that Ukraine’s new political leadership had given a green light to the creation of various forces that were opposed to the Mufti Spiritual Authority of Crimea and official religious organizations in order to weaken the influence of the Crimean Tatar population on the peninsula and the Spiritual Muslim Board, TASS reports.
"The Mufti of Crimea is a wise man who will not declare war on anybody because he believes that the word of enlightenment should be a clergyman’s main weapon," Gainutdin said, adding the Mufti was keeping Hizb ut-Tahrir and similar movements under control.
"The aim of Muslims is to educate and train clergymen who will be able to take the word of the Almighty Allah to every believer," Ravil Gainutdin said. He added that Russian Muslims were ready to share the experience of creating a system of religious education in the republic with their fellow-Muslims in Crimea.
Gainutdin who had visited Crimea on March 27-29 said many towns, mosques and Islamic schools had been in a dire state over the past twenty years. "Now, Crimean Tatars will have the right to restore their ownership of cult institutions that were once confiscated from them and return their buildings to religious organizations," Russia’s chief mufti stressed, noting that Crimea’s incorporation into Russia would open new opportunities for Crimean Tatars to build a new life on their own land and overcome the consequences of Stalin’s deportation.
"They understand that today’s Russia is doing a lot to create conditions for spiritual and cultural development of Muslims," Gainutdin said, sharing his impressions from meeting the spiritual leaders of Crimean Tatars and ordinary Muslims.
"The Muslims of Crimea look forward to starting a new life," Gainutdin emphasized, adding Crimean Tatars were concerned that they had not been exonerated over the past 20 years. Besides, no conditions have been created for Crimean Tatars to stop being outcasts and start living normal lives.
"Crimean Tatars have realized they are going to be exonerated at last. They are not going to leave Crimea and hope that their rights will be observed," the Mufti said.
He added that Crimean Tatars believe in Russia. "They want to be together with our 20-million Umma, which is well-protected, which develops and lives a full life," Gainutdin said.
Mufti Ravil Gainutdin visited Crimea on March 27-29 to meet his Muslim fellow-believers at the invitation of Emirali Ablayev, the Mufti of Crimea.
Putin pledges to deal with issue of Crimean Tatars' rehabilitation
President Vladimir Putin said that the issue of Crimean Tatars' rehabilitation would be given due attention and that he could meet with activists of Crimea's Tatar community. Earlier, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, urged Putin to have the Law on the Rehabilitation of the Peoples that Suffered from Political Reprisals applied to the Crimean Tatars, Interfax reports.
"I have been to Crimea three times. There are several pressing issues which I would like to speak about and get your approval. They fell victim to political reprisals 70 years ago. You said in clear terms in your message that, in any case, the Law on Rehabilitation, passed by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation on April 26 1991, should be applied to the Crimean Tatars, as well. This would provide serious moral incentives for the Crimean Tatars," Minnikhanov told Putin on Tuesday.
"Activists of the Crimean Tatar community would like to meet with you, if you find this possible," the Tatarstan president said.
He also proposed that the predominantly Tatar areas in Crimea should be given legal status.
"The places of residence, the settlements, should be given a legal status. Second, a program should be adopted for building infrastructure. We discussed this issue with our counterparts in the Crimean government. Your support would be important here," Minnikhanov said.
"I promise to have all of these three issues looked at carefully. Concerning social infrastructure - schools, child-care centers, etc. - we will definitely deal with this, hopefully with Tatarstan's participation," Putin said.
Putin urged Minnikhanov "to join the efforts of lawyers, the presidential administration and State Duma to draft relevant bills. "We will do so actively," Minnikhanov said.
Putin to consider exoneration of Crimean Tatars
Russian President Vladimir Putin will issue instructions to consider the possibility of applying the law on the exoneration of the repressed peoples to the Crimean Tatars and also of legalizing their communities and launching an infrastructure development program.
"I will certainly give orders to look into the matter," Putin said at a meeting with Tatarstan’s head Rustam Minnikhanov on Tuesday, Russian news agency TASS reports.
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