The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people has called on the participants of the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is taking place in Istanbul, to counter Russia’s aggression and protect the rights of the Crimean Tatar people.
Crimea is an occupied springboard for war
The appeal states that Russia has turned Crimea – the historical homeland of the Crimean Tatars, who profess Islam – into a military foothold for full-scale aggression against Ukraine. According to the Mejlis, the militarisation of the peninsula poses a threat to all countries in the Black Sea region.
Territory of fear and repression
“Crimea under the occupation of the Russian Federation has become a territory of fear, where freedoms and rights are suppressed,” the statement reads. The activities of the Mejlis have been banned, civic, cultural and educational initiatives are being destroyed, and the Crimean Tatar people have become the target of systemic repression.
Islamic rhetoric as a tool of influence
Of particular concern is Russia’s manipulation of Islamic rhetoric. The Kremlin is trying to use Crimea as a tool to strengthen its influence in the Muslim world, while destroying the religious, cultural and linguistic identity of the Crimean Tatars.
A call for peace
The Mejlis called on the OIC countries:
- Contribute to the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity;
- Increase pressure on Russia as an aggressor state;
- To demand the lifting of the ban on the activities of the Mejlis and its recognition as an extremist organisation;
- Participate in the international Crimean Platform at the governmental and parliamentary levels;
- To respond to human rights violations and the rights of the indigenous people of Crimea.
