Tag: Mustafa Dzhemilev

24th of May, Lithuanian media round-up

On 24th of May, Mustafa Dzhemilev, Leader of Crimean Tatars, in an interview to delfi.lt said that in an annexed peninsula Tatars are under huge pressure due to their pro-ukrainian attitude and even face various threats if they refuse to accept the citizenship of Russia.‘ (delfi.lt)

Audrius Butkevičius, signatory the of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, in an interview to the newspaper ‘Republic‘ said that ‘myth about “impossible elections” is a part of Russian propaganda, because they need to negate the legitimacy of elections, but according to operational data there’s only about 1200 terrorists in more than 42 millions citizens having Ukraine. It is a very small amount and even the heads of terrorists are complaining about lack of people, so what can they do.’ (respublika.lt)

On 19th of May Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament, in National Radio and Television of Lithuania programme ‘The weak’ said that „Not only Lithuania’s but NATO’s entire defense model must be reviewed. And clearly first and foremost in countries like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia which has a border with Russia. It’s also clear that we face a completely new warfare for which NATO is not prepared because there has been a period of peaceful coexistence with Russia. This is a strange kind of warfare where first of all information, known as the “soft power” is used.‘ (National Radio and Television of Lithuania, 15min.lt, balsas.lt). Read more in Lithuania Tribune: http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/68363/kirkilas-be-prepared-for-an-unconventional-warfare-201468363/.

Linas Kojala, analyst of Eastern Europe Studies Center, in an interview to the newspaper ‘Counselor of the farmer’ said that ‘impending decentralization of Ukraine due to aggression of Moscow fits Russia and European Union and even United States. All silently agrees that Ukraine will never be same as before 16th of March referendum of Crimea.’ (Counselor of the farmer, delfi.lt)

May 17, Lithuania media round-up

On 17th of May, news portal lzinios.lt published an interview with Elvina Ergashova, Crimean Tatar. She said that ‘Tatar’s situation in Crimea is very tense at this moment.’ Also Elvina hopes that Crimea will come back to Ukraine in a year or two and this chaos and terror will come to an end.’ (lzinios.lt)

On 17th of May, Vytautas Leškevičius, Lithuanian Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Mustafa Dzhemilev, Leader of the Crimean Tatars, in Kiev. According to Mustafa Dzhemilev, ‘kidnapping of Tatars, prohibition to speak the native language, limitations of the meeting law, discrimination and even murders because of ethnicity became common place in occupied Crimea.’ (ELTA, 15min.lt)

John Kerry, US Secretary of the Department of State, has made a statement on the 70th anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s forcible deportation of more than 230,000 Crimean Tatars from their homeland in Crimea. In his statement, he said that ‘for many Crimean Tatars, these abuses are still fresh in their minds and current Russia’s occupation and illegal attempt to annex Crimea has reopened these old wounds.’ (15min.lt)

May 8,2014 Lithuanian media round-up

On May 8th Lithuanian Parliament adopted a resolution for faster ratification of EU association agreement with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. In this resolution members of the Lithuanian Parliament also condemned continuous  attempts of Russia to split territorial integrity of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia states through escalation of internal conflicts and provocations of separatism in order to deter these countries from independent choice of direction in political and economical integration. (Lithuanian Parliament Press Office, BNS, ELTA, 15min, The News radio, unofficial translation)

Petras Auštrevičius, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament and Kazys Starkevičius, member of the Lithuanian Parliament on May 10-11th will take part in meetings with the Volodomyr Lytvyn, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defence Policy, Ruslan Koshulynskyi, Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, members of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations with the Republic of Lithuania. Petras Auštrevičius and Kazys Starkevičius will also take part in meetings with Dmitry Tymchuk (‘Information Resistance’ group), Vitali Klitschko, Leader of the UDAR Party, Mykola Katerynchuk, Leader of the European Party of Ukraine, Ambassador Jan Tombinski, Head of the EU Delegation, Petro Poroshenko, candidate in Ukraine’s presidential elections, and Yuriy Tereshchenko, Acting Director General of ‘Ukroboronprom’. (Lithuanian Parliament Press Office, BNS, ELTA, 15min.lt)

On May 8th, initiated by Lithuania and Ukraine, informational event for OSCE delegations, dedicated to address human rights violation in Crimea took place in Vienna. Giedrius Čekuolis, Lithuania’s Ambassador to the OSCE, stressed that human rights of national minorities, especially Crimean Tatars, situation in Crimea after annexation only got worse. Mustafa Dzhemilev, Leader of Crimean Tatars, which also participated in the event as a guest, expressed his concern that ‘Crimean Tatars are threatened due to their principal position about territorial integrity of Ukraine, boycott of referendum and are called extremists by pro-russian Crimea government.’ (Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs information, ELTA, 15min.lt)

Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic, and Lubomír Zaorálek, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, refused to attend the Victory Day reception in Russian Embassy in Prague. (delfi.lt, 15min.lt)

On May 7th Jerome Vacher, IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine, said that ‘mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will come to Ukraine at the end of June or at the beginning of July to evaluate state’s economical situation.’ (delfi.lt).

Victoria Siumar, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, in an interview to 15min.lt said that ‘Russia is preparing false referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk on Sunday and there’s a threat that Russia can try to repeat Crimean scenario and try to bring its army into Eastern Ukraine.’ (15min.lt)

Garry Kasparov, chess player and Russian opposition activist warned that ‘grievous days are coming to the world if the Head of Russia won’t be stopped.’ Garry Kasparov also thinks that Russian army isn’t so modern and powerful as Putin says (lrytas.lt). Read more in Lithuania Tribune: http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67849/kasparov-in-vilnius-western-countries-start-to-realize-putin-will-not-stop-in-ukraine-201467849/.

April 26, 2014 Lithuanian media round-up

Lithuanian Parliamentarian Vytautas Landsbergis recently spoke at MyEP interactive conference about situation in Ukraine and Lithuania and Russia international relations. Read more in Lithuanian Tribune: http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67253/landsbergis-sad-to-realize-that-yesterdays-friend-is-todays-enemy-201467253/.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė congratulated Group of 7 (G7) decision to intensify sanctions against Russia due to violations of Geneva agreement. (delfi.lt)

Latvia’s Minister of Defence Raimonds Vejonis on April 25 spoke with journalists from Reuters about situation in Baltic States in the context of Ukraine crisis. Raimonds Vejonis said that ‘there‘s danger that Russia might try to destabilize the situation in Baltic States‘ (15 min.lt). Read more in Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/25/us-latvia-defence-idUSBREA3O1Q420140425

The Leader of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. (15 min.lt)

‘Amnesty’ for Crimean Tatars

Yesterday Russia announced Vladimir Putin’s decision to rehabilitate Crimean Tatars. For your consideration we present not only the official announcement of Russian authorities, but some more information, which will help you drawing your own conclusions.

The official announcement:

Moscow, April 21. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed an order rehabilitating Crimean Tatars and other people of Crimea, who suffered repressions.

‘I would like to use this opportunity to inform my colleagues about a decree rehabilitating Crimean Tatars, Armenians, Germans, Greeks and all other nations having suffered repressions during the Stalin era’ ,- Said Putin.

Quoting Mr.Putin, the decree lays the ‘social – economic supply tools, which are allocated for some territories, which during the last few years or even decades had actually been abandoned and „ are not legally executed’.

On the 19th of April 2014, Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader of the Crimean Tatars, on the Ukrainian Gromadske TV announced having some reliable information about new Russian FSB’s (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation) plans of Crimean Tatar expulsion.

‘Free Ukraine’ and ‘ULLL’ have informed that in 1944, a mass deportation of Crimean Tatars was executed. By the decision of Josif Stalin, about 180 000 people were deported, mostly to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Those who were incapable of leaving their homes or tried to resist, were executed on the spot. Tatars were transported in cattle-trucks, most often they didn’t have food for weeks, and sometimes not even water. Bodies of the dead were simply thrown out of the wagons.

Only in 1989 Tatars were allowed to return to their homeland. The decision about the fictitious guilt of Tatars is yet to be abolished.

After the deportations of Crimean Tatars, about 80% of villages were renamed – predictably, mainly those of Tatar origin were targeted. Today just 5 Tatar named villages remain – Bakhchysarai, Dzhankoy, Isun, Saky, Sudak.

April 22, the leader of Crimean Tatar National Movement, Mustafa Dzhemilev was handed a notice forbidding him from entering Crimea or any other Russian territory.

During the last few days, news reports about harsh treatment of Tartars, pogroms, demands to leave etc. became more and more frequent. Crimean Tatars refuse to recognize the occupation carried out by Russia.