In Geneva, we commemorate the memory of the victims of genocide of the Crimean Tatar people committed by the totalitarian regime of the former Soviet Union.

These days the theme of the occupied Crimea and the situation of Crimean Tatars in the peninsula sounded loud in the UN Human Rights Council where the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review has considered report of the Russian Federation. The voices of our partner-States, among them Australia, UK, Estonia, Canada, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the USA, Finland, the Czech Republic, echoed the relevant messages of the delegation of Ukraine. It was emphasized on inadmissibility of violations of human rights committed by the Russian Federation on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The Russian side was called to fully comply with its obligations as the Occupying Power in accordance with the international law, as well as to provide access to the occupied Crimea for international human rights monitoring mechanisms.

The Russian Federation should immediately and fully implement the provisions of UN General Assembly resolutions 68/262 "Territorial integrity of Ukraine", 71/205 and 72/190 "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine" and strictly comply with the order of the International Court of Justice as of April 19, 2017 on interim measures in the case “Ukraine vs. Russian Federation”, bringing to end the racial discrimination acts against Crimean Tatar People.

The terrible events of 1944 should not be repeated either for Crimean Tatars, or for other peoples!