Russia violates 18 articles of UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Crimea – human rights defender

Russia is systematically violating at least 18 articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in temporarily occupied Crimea.

As reported by CrimeaSOS, this was stated by its co-coordinator Sabina Ilyas during an event in New York dedicated to the consequences of 11 years of occupation of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

It is noted that since the beginning of the occupation of the peninsula, Russia has consistently persecuted Crimean Tatars — the Indigenous people of Crimea — viewing them as a threat to its occupation policy.

These violations include pressure on and persecution of activists, forced evictions, destruction of cultural heritage, media censorship, obstruction of the Mejlis, and the criminal prosecution of women, which has sharply increased since 2022.

CrimeaSOS recalled the latest high-profile case — the detention of four Crimean Tatar women on fabricated charges of alleged involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir.

According to CrimeaSOS, at least 50 unlawful searches take place every year, most of them in the homes of Crimean Tatars. Mass detentions are recorded even in mosques and near courthouses.

As reported by Ukrinform, since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea, 473 people have become political prisoners or faced persecution under “criminal cases,” 268 of whom are representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.

Photo: DIU