Amnesty International: anniversary of Russia annexation of Crimea highlights human rights and international law violations
www.jurist.org
Amnesty International (AI) said Monday that Crimean residents have suffered ten years of systematic oppression since Russia's annexation of the region in 2014. AI reported that since annexation, Russi...

Amnesty International (AI) reported that since annexation, Russia has oppressed Crimea’s non-Russian residents, namely Ukrainians and Crimean Tartars, in two ways: by changing the region’s ethnic demographics and, more systematically, through “restrictions on education, religion, media, representative institutions, judicial system, and cultural celebrations.”

AI explained that Russian post-annexation figures of Crimea showed a decrease of Ukrainian residents by almost 10 percent and Crimean Tartars by 2 percent, which are figures AI says are inconsistent with even the highest numbers of these residents who fled the peninsula in 2014. AI thus attributed the drop in residents to “ethnic Ukrainians now choosing or feeling compelled to identify as Russian, or a combination of both.”

After annexation, all non-Russian residents were given citizenship to Russia unless they “formally opted out.” Opting out puts the “foreigner” in a disadvantaged position regarding their “economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights.”

  • 0x815@feddit.deOP
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    8 months ago

    The fight is continuing’: a decade of Russian rule has not silenced Ukrainian voices in Crimea

    Amid the shaky security situation, Russia’s crackdown on dissent in Crimea, which has been ruthless since 2014, has risen to a new level. As well as the continuing persecution of activists from the Crimean Tatar minority, traditionally largely pro-Ukrainian, Russia’s police and FSB security service have rounded up local people who post Ukrainian-language songs on their social media profiles or express pro-Ukraine views in public.

    […]

    Crimean Smersh offers people the chance to denounce their friends and neighbours for “anti-Russian” behaviour. Users can message a secure Telegram bot to send information about such incidents. The channel then posts videos of police raids on people’s houses, and frequently adds mumbled on-camera “confessions” and “apologies” from those accused of being pro-Ukraine.

    […]

    Olha Skrypnyk, chair of the Crimean Human Rights Group, said that the first major Russian drone attacks on Kyiv in October 2022, which were proudly broadcast on Russian television, were a wake-up call for many in Crimea who had previously believed Russia was not attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

    […]

    “I think it’s important to show the Ukrainian-minded people in Crimea that we didn’t give up on their freedom,” she said.