The UN international court ordered Russia to ensure the right of Crimean Tatars for representation, in particular, in the framework of prohibited in Russia of the Majlis.
In addition, the court demanded that Russia ensure the right of residents of Crimea to receive education in the Ukrainian language.
This include the introduction of the International criminal court in the Hague temporary restrictive measures in connection with the consideration of the claim, in which Ukraine has accused Russia of violating two international conventions — for the suppression of the financing of terrorism and on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
Entered by the court of the measures concern only one part of the claim — associated with the Convention on racial discrimination. However, the court refused to impose any restrictive measures in connection with allegations concerning the Convention on the suppression of the financing of terrorism: the decision States that at this stage Ukraine has failed to provide sufficient arguments for this.
At the same time, the court recognized its jurisdiction in respect of possible violations of both conventions.
The court’s decision is not final: experts believe that the final verdict will sound in the Hague no earlier than a few years.
The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that the day of adoption of the first decision on this claim was a “very important day”.
Moscow rejects the allegations of violations of international conventions, and the head of the Russian delegation, Director of the legal Department of the MFA of Russia Roman Kolodkin called for the requirement of Ukraine to introduce any restrictive measures are unfounded.
The essence of the claim
In January this year Ukraine for the first time in its history, filed in the international court of justice a complaint against another state: she accused Russia of violating conventions on the suppression of the financing of terrorism and on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
In March, the court started consideration of the claim.
Kiev claims that in 2014, after decades all the while increasing the pressure on Ukraine, Russia invaded it by military force.
Ukrainian officials claim that Moscow is providing support to illegal armed groups in the East of Ukraine and asked the court to acknowledge Russia’s responsibility “for the terrorist acts committed in Ukraine, its appointees”.
The claim in this context refers to the crash of flight MH17 in the summer of 2014, the shelling of civilians in Volnovakha, Mariupol and Kramatorsk, and explosions in Kharkiv in February 2015.
In addition, Ukraine claims that Moscow is in it annexed Crimea “deliberate campaign of cultural cleansing” against the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian communities, Recalling that Russia’s actions on the Peninsula was condemned by the UN General Assembly.
Kiev asks the court, in particular, to oblige Russia:
• immediately stop any support for “armed groups committing acts of terrorism in Ukraine”
• to take measures for the removal of all weapons previously provided by these groups
• to prosecute persons involved in “financing terrorism” in this context refers to the Minister of defence of Russia Sergey Shoigu, Vice-speaker of the state Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leaders of “Fair Russia” Sergey Mironov and Gennady Zyuganov,
• to fully compensate for losses associated with the crash MN17, and “all other terrorist acts” in which Kiev accuses Moscow.
In “the Crimean part” of a claim refers to the fact that Russia must ensure full protection of all ethnic groups in the “occupied Crimea” to resume the work of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar media, to stop arbitrary searches and arrests of Crimean Tatars, to investigate the disappearance of activists and to immediately restore the rights of the Majlis.
Crimean Tatars complain of harassment by the Russian authorities, which began after annexation of the Peninsula in 2014.
In the spring of 2016, the Supreme court of the Crimea declared the Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people by the extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia.
The head of the Mejlis, Refat Chubarov 2014 officially denied entry to Russia, as well as the previous Chairman and leader of the Crimean Tatar national movement Mustafa Dzhemilev.
In respect of the remaining on the Peninsula of the heads of the Mejlis was prosecuted on charges of separatism and the organization of mass riots.
According to human rights defenders subjected to repression dozens of Crimean Tatar activists. The report of the international human rights organization Amnesty International, published on the anniversary of the annexation of the Peninsula, said about the campaign of intimidation and the reluctance of authorities to investigate cases of abduction and torture of critics of the current situation in Crimea.
The Kremlin called the arrests of Crimean Tatars as a part of efforts to combat crime.
