The Law “On the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine”, initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was adopted on July 1, 2021. The document aims to maximize the protection of the cultural, informational, and other rights of indigenous peoples, providing them with mechanisms and tools for working with the Ukrainian state. In particular, it recognizes the representative bodies of indigenous peoples.

“The indigenous people of Ukraine are an autochthonous ethnic community that formed on the territory of Ukraine, is a carrier of original language and culture, has traditional, social, cultural, or representative bodies, sees itself as an indigenous people of Ukraine, is an ethnic minority in its population, and does not have its state formation outside Ukraine,” the law declares.

Following the aforementioned legal framework, the Crimean Tatars, Karaites, and Krymchaks are recognized as indigenous peoples of Ukraine. It is important to note that the concepts of indigenous peoples and national minorities should not be confused. While both groups face challenges, indigenous peoples are defined by their connection to a specific territory, whereas national minorities have ethnically related states outside their countries of residence. Ukraine is home to numerous national minorities, but only three indigenous peoples.

This law was enacted on July 1, 2021, with the objective of safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples and establishing special mechanisms for their collaboration with the state.

After the occupation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution to guarantee the rights of the Crimean Tatar people in Ukraine, recognizing them as indigenous people of Ukraine. However, the adoption of the Law enshrined this status at the legal level, which was another step towards the de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula.

In accordance with the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, international treaties ratified by the Verkhovna Rada, as well as the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, representatives of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine are entitled to the collective and individual enjoyment of all fundamental human rights and freedoms.

According to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of 2007, no military activity may be carried out on the territory of indigenous peoples without their consent or request, and Article 7 states that “Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace, and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or violence.”

The Ukrainian state is committed to ensuring compliance with international and national legal frameworks. To this end, it is prepared to take all necessary measures to liberate Crimea from the occupiers!