Monitoring Desk: Russia continues to illegally detain about 120 citizens of Ukraine in Crimea which is a legal part of Ukrainian land but illegally and forcefully occupied by Russia.
A statement was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on fourth anniversary of the illegal Russian occupation and prohibiting the activities of the Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
The report which is written by Kira Molchanov says that the official statements says to date, as part of the ongoing repression against the disagreed about 120 citizens of Ukraine, most of whom are Crimean Tatars, illegally detained or condemned by Russia for political reasons in the territory of the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied Crimea.
It is noted that the prohibition of the activities of the highest representative-executive body of the Crimean Tatars by the occupying Russian authorities became another evidence of gross violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, manifestation of racial discrimination, an element of a large-scale campaign of intimidation and persecution of those who disagree with the occupation of the peninsula March 2014.
It is noted that the Mejlis ban violated fundamental norms of law, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as well as the right of indigenous peoples of Ukraine and Crimea to representation and self-government provided by the Declaration of Rights Indigenous Peoples, adopted on 13 September 2007.
