MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the human rights situation in Crimea, in particular of the Crimean Tatars

10.5.2016 - (2016/2692(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Helmut Scholz, Jiří Maštálka, Tania González Peñas, Miguel Urbán Crespo, Lola Sánchez Caldentey, Xabier Benito Ziluaga, Estefanía Torres Martínez, Marie-Christine Vergiat, Kostas Chrysogonos, Stelios Kouloglou, Barbara Spinelli on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group

B8‑0589/2016

European Parliament resolution on the human rights situation in Crimea, in particular of the Crimean Tatars

(2016/2692(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–  having regard Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure,

 

 

A. Whereas The Mejlis was founded in 1991 to represent Crimean Tatars in Crimea; whereas the Crimean parliament on 11 March 2014 adopted a declaration “On guarantees for the restoration of rights of the Crimean Tatar people”, which stated that in a future Crimean constitution, the Crimean Tatar language will be given the status of official language (together with Russian and Ukrainian), that in executive organs of state power in Crimea at least 20 percent of positions will be reserved for Crimean Tatars, that Crimean Tatar self-government organs, the Kurultai and the Mejlis, will be officially recognized, and that financial assistance, as well as assistance for the restoration of historical monuments and native language education, will be provided; whereas this declaration has never been implemented;

B. Whereas The Supreme Court of Crimea on 26 April 2016 banned the Mejlis, claiming that law enforcers had collected sufficient proof of the group’s extremist activities; whereas Crimean Tatar news channel ATR was forced off the air in 2015 claimed by the authorities as "defending Ukraine’s interests on the territory of Crimea and creating social tension";

C. Whereas many human and democratic rights violations in Crimea have been reported during the last two years; whereas Crimean Tatars were systematically harassed, and many activists were arrested or disappeared; whereas the human rights organizations which worked in Crimea until the spring of 2014, as well as many independent media have been forced to curtail their work and leave the peninsula. Whereas the access of international journalists and human rights activists is hindered by additional restrictions on the entry imposed by Ukraine, and the need to obtain a special permit;

D. Whereas the Council of Europe has sent a delegation chaired by the Special Envoy of the Council of Europe Secretary General Gerard Studman to Crimea to assess the situation; whereas the delegation has declared that a Mejlis ban "would further alienate the Crimean Tatar community, as well as the importance of maintaining traditional organs to ensure their representation"; whereas a number of measures adopted after March 2014 have a discriminatory effect on Crimean Tatars;

 

E. Whereas general difficulties and concerns affecting the rights of minorities – and notably Crimean Tatars – had already been largely identified in previous reports of Council of Europe monitoring structures, and have been confirmed by many interlocutors of the CoE delegation, including Crimean Tatars in Kyiv; whereas the CoE concluded that a Mejlis ban would indicate a new level of repression targeting this time the Crimean Tatar community as a whole;

 

F. Whereas more than 2.5 million people who live in Crimea are confronted with the implications of the inner-Ukrainian not yet solved conflict, the non-fulfilment of all Minsk protocol obligations by Russia and Ukraine resulting in the aggravation of the tensions among the Crimean population, including the state of the Crimean Tartars minority; whereas the United States and European Union have put Crimea on one of the toughest embargoes in the world blocking almost all trade, transport links, and banking transactions; whereas Ukraine has cut rail and bus communication, water and power supply, creating serious problems for citizens; whereas tourism faced a steep drop and farmers are deprived of the possibility to irrigate their fields; whereas the population of Crimea faces serious problems of supply with the basic goods.

 

1.  Expresses concern at the economic and social situation of the population of Crimea; urgently calls on the United States, the EU and Ukraine to lift the blockade; calls for negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations to solve the Crimean problem.

2.   Urges a reversal of the ban on the Mejlis; Calls on Russia to stop the obstruction of the operations of the body.

2.  Reiterates its position the rights of indigenous peoples and minority rights have to be respected and condemns any violation of these rights; urgently calls for the implementation of the 2014 declaration “On guarantees for the restoration of rights of the Crimean Tatar people".

3.  Welcomes the decision of the Council of Europe to send a delegation to Crimea to assess the human and democratic rights situation; takes note of the report of the delegation and its conclusions.

5.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Governments and parliaments of Russia, Ukraine, the Council of Europe, the Secretary-General of the United Nations.