Permanent Representative Tamila Tasheva took part in a panel discussion during the presentation of the special report of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on the observance of the rights of national minorities and Indigenous peoples in the context of Russia’s armed aggression, organized with the support of the joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe Support for implementing European standards relating to anti-discrimination and rights of national minorities in Ukraine.

The panel discussion was also joined by Hallvard Gorseth, Head of the Anti-Discrimination Department of the Council of Europe, Ondrej Wagner, Political Adviser at the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, and Viktor Yelenskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience. The discussion was moderated by Erlend Falk, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.

The Permanent Representative recalled that after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the repressions and persecutions that have been going on since the start of the Russian occupation of Crimea have only intensified. The occupation administration has opened more than 900 illegal administrative proceedings against Ukrainian citizens. About 800 of them are for the distribution of so-called “extremist symbols,” which the occupiers consider to be the national flag of the Crimean Tatars and any Ukrainian symbols.

Tamila Tasheva also drew attention to Russian propaganda in occupied Crimea, to the attempts of the occupation administration to promote anti-Ukrainian imperial narratives among the local population.

“We are thinking about the future of the Crimean Peninsula, about young people, particularly representatives of the Indigenous people; we do not want their future to be associated with hostile narratives. After the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea, the historical place names that Russia has consistently destroyed since 1944 will be returned”, the Permanent Representative said.

During the discussion, Tamila Tasheva spoke about the National Commission for the Crimean Tatar Language and its active work on developing standards for using the Latin alphabet. 

The Permanent Representative emphasized the importance of protecting the rights of the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine and added that the Mission is working comprehensively to support, protect, and develop these peoples and national minorities and communities, especially in culture, traditions, and national memory.

“It is important to ensure the fullest possible involvement of representatives of Indigenous peoples and national minorities in decision-making processes, in particular those that do not have an official representative body. Every effort should be made to make participation in these processes critical for effectively advocating their rights and ensuring an equal voice in public life.”