Halya Koynash speaks out about Russian repression, the plight of Crimean Tatars and why Crimea must be free from occupation
It had seemed that on 24th February 2022 the world had understood what Russian aggression was really about. There is a grave fear at the moment that understanding the danger Russia poses for Ukraine and all of us in Europe is beginning to die.
Crimea has been occupied since 2014. From the beginning of the occupation violations of human rights and disappearances began. We still do not know about certain Crimean Tatar activists and others almost certainly killed. Instances of disappearances were very brazen where young Crimean Tatar men were actually abducted in broad daylight. Occupation authorities did nothing to find them. There has been a systematic campaign to destroy the Crimean Tatar human rights movement. The excuses are pitiful. Most of the people imprisoned are serving sentences of up to 20 years on totally insane “international terrorism” charges. This includes journalists and solidarity activists. In some cases, victims have electric shock treatment, including to genitals. Many are imprisoned on so-called confessions.
The authorities arrest people, torture them and threaten them with huge sentences or worse if they don’t give false testimony. It is likely that some of these people are those used as anonymous witnesses, whose testimony cannot be verified. Both prosecutor and “judges” systematically protect such secrecy and block questions aimed at proving that they are lying. In Crimea, and all occupied territory, Russia is violating international law by using its legislation to prosecute people and also forcibly taking them to Russia for such trials and sentences.
We know of over 200 people who have been illegally put on trial. Judges hand down sentences of 14, 17 or 20 years and victims are imprisoned somewhere in Russia 2000 to 5000 kilometres from their homes in Crimea. Crimean Tatars have suffered quite disproportionately; partly because of their support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity, as well as banal racism.
In 2022 Russian built two more remand prisons (SIZO) in Crimea, with horrific conditions, for people from Kherson, Zaporizhia and other areas. These are often civilian hostages whom Russia is not even admitting to holding prisoner. It is likely that thousands have been abducted.
The same enforced disappearances seen in Crimea are happening in all occupied territories. The same killings, the same arrests, abductions of people and fake trials. In 2021 Freedom House conducted a study of countries in the world and found the situation in occupied Crimea, occupied parts of Donbas and Luhansk was almost the same as in North Korea.
There can be no question of a peace settlement while people are left in prisons, or in horrific conditions, where there is no free speech and people are terrified of being arrested or abducted. There can be no peace while Crimea is occupied.
In 1954 Crimea was accepted by Russian Soviet leader Khrushchev to be part of Ukraine. This was again confirmed in 1991 with a referendum throughout Ukraine where every part voted to be in Ukraine. Trump’s recent dealings with Putin suggest he will bully President Zelensky into accepting Russian annexation of Crimea.
Ukraine Solidarity Campaign is seeking support for An Alternative Plan for Ukraine. See USC website for details and sign. See also report of Brussels Solidarity conference: No to Partition! Russian Troops Out! 26-27 March on websites.