Newsline on Crimea
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 12:14:25 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: Newsline on Crimea
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Kurtmolla Abdulganijew
<[email protected]>
Newsline on Crimea
Here is the information about situation in Crimea and recent events
which took place in Crimea. First of this articles displays possible
(and growing) radicalism of the Crimean Tatars.
---------------
(From the moderator: I am sending excerpts from the text which
highlight its content. The entire document - 23 Kb in plain text -
will be sent to everybody interested in it by request within 24 hours.
Boris)
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>From tc Wed Mar 25 20:45:57 UKR 1998
Crimea: Political Situation
Information Bulletin
The Center of Public Initiatives "Aydin"
Issue 2 (special)
25th March, 1998
The Analytical Report on Political Events
Materials published in this rubric, are reflecting point of view of
authors and of the Center of Public Initiatives "Aydin".
Ukrainian Communists bless Islam Crimea. What the President will say
about?
At 24th March, under Islam flags, with religious dances and with
call "Allahu Akbar" ("The God is Great") more than 7 thousands of
Crimean Tatars conducted actions of disobedience in capital of
Crimea, Simferopol. These actions were timed to last session of
Ukrainian Parliament, on which it was planned to consider a question
regarding participating of those Crimean Tatars, who are not citizens
of Ukraine, in elections to highest legislative bodies of Ukraine and
Crimea.
The Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People (the national parliament) thinks it
is necessary to grant a citizenship, and so the right to vote, to all
Crimean Tatars, who have registration in Crimea. This decision is
supported by many national democratic parties of Ukraine, and first
of all, by the most influential democratic party of Ukraine - Narodny
Ruh. Unfortunately, at 24th March on the last session of Verhovna
Rada (Parliament of Ukraine) democratic forces could not resist the
left part of Parliament. Exactly communists together with the
socialists have blocked consideration of question concerning
participating of Crimean Tatars in elections at 29th March.
About 1 thousand of Crimean Tatars, who were conducting a peaceful
meeting on central square of Simferopol, after hearing this news,
sharply turned to radical actions. For about a half an hour the
central motorway of Simferopol - the administrative center of Crimea -
was blocked. The groups of Crimean Tatars from other cities blocked
entrances to Simferopol protesting against canceling bus and train
communication to Crimean capital by Crimean government...
....................
Kara Haydar,
coordinator of political programs
The Public Initiatives Center "Aydin"
* * *
Democratization and an Issue of Representing the Crimean Tatar People
at Ukrainian State Bodies
Nadir Bekirov,
Chairman of Political-Legislative Department
of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People
At recent years Europe has opened its western boundaries for countries
which were under power of totalitarian communist regimes during
decades, and sovereignty of which were either nominal as of former
Soviet Union republics, or considerably limited as of states of Warsaw
Treaty. At the early 90-s the appearance on this territory
anticommunist or for appearance non-communist regimes was interpreted
as something identical to appearance democratic, respecting human
rights and rights of nations. The perception of situation was like
this also by Crimean Tatar National movement, which at once
supported the sovereignty of Ukrainian State from efforts to rebirth
the Soviet empire, and then from imperialistic demands of Russia
regarding Crimea and the whole Ukraine. Kurultay and Mejlis of
Crimean Tatar People, as an absolute majority of our people, thought
quite organic, that sovereign Ukrainian State will undertake the
necessary actions on restoring rights of indigenous people of Crimea -
the Crimean Tatars...
...........................
* * *
Political Chronicle
6 candidates to deputies of Ukraine on electoral district No 10,
representatives of different parties and blocks held a
press-conference at 23rd March, 1998. During press-conference the
facts of violation of Election Law by Crimean Prime- minister, Mr.
Anatoly Franchuk, which is also candidate within this electoral
district, were announced. They are: attraction of officials to
propaganda, propaganda in state mass-media when refusing to other
candidates.
* * *
Mejlis News
The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Press-Service informs:
In connection with violation of civil and political equality of the
Crimean Tatar People by the authorities of Ukraine, including the
right for participation in the elections of March 29, 1998 (more than
70 thousands of the Crimean Tatars were not
submitted to the elections), by unwillingness to give the political
representation in Parliament of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea
to the Crimean Tatar People, dismissing from privatization,
unrecognizing of the Mejlis of the Crimean
Tatar People from 18th of February the continuous protest actions were
developed in the Crimea. The pickets actions, mass meetings and
processions in different time were done in the towns of Sudak,
Evpatoria, Simferopol (February 27, March 10, March 24).
The next mass meeting, by the Mejlis's decision, in which took part
about 7 thousands of people took place on the central square of
Simferopol. The authorities undertook the attempt to break the action,
abolished numbers of bus runs and railway transport from several
regions of the Crimea to Simferopol. Independently doing by the own
transport the police tried to stop. As an replay measure the Crimean
Tatars recovered the traffic between Bakhchisaray and Simferopol in
the bus-station 'Zapadnaya', between Yalta and Simferopol in Maryino,
Stroganovka and railway in Pochtovoe for two hours.
When the demonstrators at 12:30 pm knew, that Verkhovnaya Rada of
Ukraine (Ukrainian Parliament) because of counteraction of the left
parties could not include to the agenda the consideration of the
question about changes to the Law
of Ukraine "On the elections to the Verkhovnaya Rada of the Autonomous
Republic of the Crimea", which would guarantee legal interests of the
Crimean Tatars, the demonstrators went to the office of the Republican
Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine in Kirov Prospect. There
were broken newspapers and slogans from Communist Party's stands,
which were in the street and expressed stormy protests, connected with
actions of the left parties in the Parliament of Ukraine. The
authorities lined up near the Communist Party office cordons of
police. After that demonstrators went to the railway station, where
they were bared the way by police equipped by truncheons, metallic
shields, tear-gas and bulletproofed jackets. With the purpose to stop
the process the police attacked the first lines of the demonstrators
and used truncheons, tear-gas and metallic shields. As the result, 47
of the Crimean TAtars injured by the Mejlis's data. 9 policeman
injured by the data of the Main Department of Ministry of Internal
Affairs of Ukraine in the Crimea. Demonstrators broken to railway
lines and blocked them for a hour. After that demonstrators returned
to central square, where at 17:30 pm the meeting was ended. After
meeting was the reception between Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean
Tatar People Mustafa Djemilev and Chairman of the Soviet of Ministers
of the Crimea A.Franchuk, Head of Main Department of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs G.Moskal, Head of Security Service of the Ukraine in
the Crimea A.Kasyanenko and representative of the President of
Ukraine in the Crimea V.Kiselov, in which present situation was
discussed.
Representatives of the authorities informed, that they are ready to
gather the police forces to the Crimea from nearest districts of
Ukraine. Besides, by the words of G.Moskal, will be instituted the
criminal proceedings against demonstrators who participated in
clashes with police and blockade of ways. Representative of the
President of Ukraine in the Crimea V.Kiselov charged G.Moskal to
evaluate material damage, were brought by demonstrators and institute
criminal proceedings against them. The Head of Main Department of the
Security Service in the Crimea A.Kasyanenko claimed that to Chairman
of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Djemilev that they use
all power of state machine, if necessary. I reply, the Chairman of
the Mejlis has stressed that Crimean Tatars during decades fought for
their rights against state machine of USSR and no such state machine
can stop the struggle.
Later evening the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People decided to hold
protest action with analogous requirements on March 28 in Simferopol.
To define concrete forms, was formed a Work Group of members of the
Mejlis.
----------------------------
By using the information, reference to source is sure.
This issue was prepared by Kara Haydar.
Translated into English by Alim Memetov.
This bulletin reflects the opinion of Center of Public Initiatives
"Aydin".
When preparing this issue the materials of Crimean mass-media were
used.
Our address:
Pushkin Street, 1
Bakhchisaray, Crimea
Ukraine, 334410
Tel/fax: (+38 06554) 47491
e-mail: [email protected]
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