Chubarov: The Mejlis delegated its authority to the Special Council in time of emergency

The chairman of the Mejlis, Refat Chubarov reminded at a briefing in Kiev on Friday, September 30, that with a persecution of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people in the occupied Crimea upon the authority was delegated to the Special Council.

«This representative body consists of eight members of the Mejlis located now in Ukraine, and the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev. There are nine people altogether. All decisions taken by the Special Council are rendered here, in Kiev», Chubarov pointed out.

According to him, the fact is that all those, presented themselves as a part of this organization, will face a criminal case and sentence from 2 to 6 years for participating in and from 6 to 10 years for organizing activities after the final ban of the Mejlis’ activities in the Russian Federation and in the occupied Crimea.

To protect the Mejlis’ members living mostly in Crimea it was stated an emergency, and the Mejlis authority was delegated to the Special Meeting.

Also Chubarov said that the state of emergency was provided long time ago, in February 2016 at a closed session immediately when the so-called Crimean prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya began the persecution of the representative body of the Crimean Tatars. Chubarov reminded that he announced the decision to create the Special Council on April 26 when the «Crimean court» banned the Mejlis.

«However the meetings of the Mejlis had continued until 22 September. Some members gathered in Kiev and the others in Crimea participated in meetings via Skype, so we had a quorum of 21 people», said Chubarov recalling the fact that the occupation authorities have already fined many participants of the meeting from Crimea (including Ilmi Umerov and Ali Khamzin) because of the last taken decision of the Mejlis on suspending three more collaborators. Therefore, to protect the members of the Mejlis in Crimea all decisions from now on will be rendered in Kiev. Chubarov stressed out several times during the briefing.

He added that the risks of persecution in Crimea hang over 2.5-3 thousand people after the total ban of the Mejlis. The Mejlis is not only 33 members, but also includes the local Mejlis and 250 Kurultay delegates who had elected the Mejlis.

As Chubarov mentioned, the Mejlis’ lawyers are preparing now a lawsuit to the European Court of Human Rights which will be filed as soon as the documents are ready. Meanwhile he recalled that through banning a representative body of the Crimean Tatar people the Russian Federation once again roughly violates the international law. It is namely the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

«Unfortunately it's not happening as quickly and clearly as we would like to be within the international policy. However all happening there build a background that Russia will have to obey the rules of an international law on its basis, including Crimea», Chubarov said.

A story of the Mejlis’ persecution was next: on February 15 the first deputy of the Mejlis, Nariman Dzhelyal was invited to the occupation Crimean prosecutor's office and «the prosecutor» of Crimea Natalia Poklonskaya handed him a copy of the claim to ban the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. Meanwhile the occupants referred to the law «on Countering Extremist Activity».

«A law suit» on this case was started on March 3.

On April 18 the Ministry of Justice without waiting for the «court’s» decision had already included the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people to a list of nongovernmental public associations and religious organizations whose activities were suspended on grounds of its extremism.

On April 26, the so-called Crimean Supreme Court recognized the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people as an extremist organization and banned its activities. The appeal to that decision was filed and it was considered by the Supreme Court of Russia.

Earlier the European Parliament spoke in support of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people that pointed out a persecution of the representative body of the Crimean Tatars in both two resolutions. It was also stated at the open forum of the United Nations Indigenous Peoples about the inadmissibility of banning the Mejlis that was called «a social organization» by Russia. The Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council called numerously to stop the persecution of the Crimean Tatars.