Indigenous peoples matter for Ukraine: CTRC launches information storm

On the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center is launching an information storm "Indigenous Peoples Matter for Ukraine". The campaign will take place on social media, and the organizers urge everyone to join in.

This is reported on the website of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Today, more than 476 million indigenous people live in 90 countries. In Ukraine, three indigenous peoples are officially recognized - Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks.

"For the 12th year in a row, the indigenous peoples of Ukraine have been forced to live in war. The occupation authorities have turned Crimea, their homeland, into a military base for attacks on the mainland of Ukraine. Today, more than ever, it is important to keep a common front. Crimean Tatars, Karaites, Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians are united by a common goal - to live in a free, independent and indivisible Ukraine," the statement reads.

The authors of the idea, human rights activists of the CTRC invite you to join the storm "Indigenous Peoples Matter for Ukraine", distribute posters and use the hashtag #LIBERATECRIMEA.

For reference.

In 1994, the UN General Assembly established the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on August 9 to show annual solidarity with those peoples who are a minority in their historical homeland. An indigenous people is not the same as a national minority. Ukraine is home to quite a few national minorities and only a few indigenous peoples. To be an indigenous people, an ethnic community must have formed as such on the territory of Ukraine, be a native speaker of an original language and culture, and not have its own state outside of Ukraine.

Along with Ukrainians, indigenous peoples in Ukraine include Crimean Tatars, Karaites, and Krymchaks. Crimea is their historical homeland. International law and Ukrainian legislation protect indigenous peoples. First of all, it is about preserving and developing their own language, culture and traditions. It also means protection from harassment, forced assimilation, or genocide. But in their historical homeland, in the occupied Crimea, representatives of indigenous peoples, especially Crimean Tatars, are dealing with the opposite reality. Therefore, August 9 is another opportunity to remind us that "Russia has turned Crimea into one big prison," as Akhtem Chiygoz, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, says.

Cultural figures and representatives of the Mejlis emphasized the importance of preserving the Crimean Tatar heritage.

Олександра Горст