Crimea's Ukrainians and Tatars in Danger – OSCE
Crimea's Ukrainians and Tatars in Danger – OSCE
The situation on the Crimean peninsula is a threat to the local Tatar and Ukrainian communities, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors said after visiting Kiev and Crimea on March 6.
“I am alarmed about the risk of violent conflict on the Crimean peninsula and the effects this could have on all communities, particularly the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar groups,”" Thors said in a statement on the OSCE’s website.
She said that hasty decisions about the future of the autonomous republic had exposed divisions that had been left unaddressed for decades.
“Like the Ukrainian community, Crimean Tatars have taken a different position to the majority population, which increases their vulnerability. Relations between ethnic groups on the peninsula are characterised by a growing climate of fear,” Thors said.
She urged the forces that are now in control in Crimea to respect the rights of the various minorities, regardless of whether they are Russian, Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars.
During her visits to Kiev and Crimea, the OSCE High Commissioner said she found no evidence of violations or threats to the rights of Russian-speaking citizens. This is the Russian Federation’s pretext for interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs.
This article republished from Ukrainska Pravda with kind permission.
Original article in Russian.
