«Your struggle has already become a part of history». Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide.

May 18 is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People. This day is commemorated in Ukraine annually on the anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people in 1944. Read next the direct speech of the head of the Center for Civil Liberties Oleksandra Matviichyk.

May 18 marks the tragic memorial day of the mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars. The ethnic cleansing of the peninsula was carried out by the order of Stalin. More than 46% of the deportees died of the inhuman transportation conditions and the poverty of the first years. Already in July 1944, 51,000 people, mostly Russians, were moved into deportees’ empty houses.

Unpunished evil recurs. Now, the hybrid deportation of Crimean Tatars is taking place by the order of Putin. Since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin has taken a course to displace the most active part of the population and replace it with citizens of the RF from various regions through managed migration. For this purpose, a large-scale system of political persecution was launched on the peninsula. Even before the invasion of Russia in February 2022, Crimean Tatars made up the majority of the list of prisoners. Our colleagues, human rights defenders Emir-Usein Kuku, Server Mustafaiev and others, are among them.

Russia thinks that the truth is the weapon of the weak. But the truth is the weapon of winners. The Russian regime will collapse, and your struggle has already become a part of history. See you in free Crimea!