Today, January 16, marks the 11th anniversary of the passing of one of the most influential participants in the Crimean Tatar national movement, Zampira Asanova.
Zampira Asanova was born in 1941 in the village of Tuvak’a in Ak-Mechet District (renamed Rivne in 1948, now a vanished village in Yevpatoriia District) of the Crimean ASSR. In 1944, her family, like many Crimean Tatars, was deported to Uzbekistan, where Zampira attended school. Her sister, Semade Asanova, shared memories of their father and their native Crimea during the exile:
“Our father told us about his dreams — of Crimea, of the sea near which we lived… We understood early on what homeland meant — the steppe, the sea, Crimea.”
In 1956, the Crimean Tatar people were released from the status of “special settlers,” and in 1958, Zampira enrolled in the Moscow Medical Dental Institute. Despite being separated from her homeland, Zampira, who was raised with a deep love for Crimea and her people, joined the Crimean Tatar national movement. She became a liaison between human rights defenders and Crimean Tatar activists, fostering collaboration with notable figures such as General Petro Hryhorenko and writer Oleksii Kosterin, author of the samizdat work On the Small and Forgotten, dedicated to the plight of deported peoples. Zampira’s activism extended beyond building connections: she participated in disseminating an appeal from former Crimean Tatar servicemen regarding the conditions of their deported people to Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.
On July 21, 1967, Zampira Asanova joined a delegation of Crimean Tatars that met with Soviet leadership at the Kremlin. Among the participants were prominent activists like Refik Muzafarov. High-ranking officials attended the meeting, including KGB Chairman Yurii Andropov, Minister of Internal Affairs Nikolai Shchelokov, and Prosecutor General Roman Rudenko. This event had significant repercussions: following the meeting, Asanova was dismissed from her job, accused of “mental incompetence,” and faced attempts to forcibly commit her to a psychiatric hospital.
On June 6, 1969, Zampira Asanova participated in a landmark demonstration in Moscow’s Mayakovsky Square, one of the most prominent protests in support of Crimean Tatars. Alongside Enver Ametov, Reshat Dzhemilev, Ayder Zeytullaev, and other activists, she chanted slogans such as “Communists, return Crimea to the Crimean Tatars” and “Freedom for General Hryhorenko.” The demonstrators were detained but avoided arrests due to international attention.
“When I raised my banner reading ‘Freedom for General Hryhorenko!’ after a minute, Zampira Asanova sat down at my feet. I demanded she leave the square immediately, as we had agreed earlier. But she strongly objected, saying: ‘How will I answer to my conscience when I see you being arrested? How will I face my friends if I stand aside as a mere spectator?’ Since she refused to leave, I suggested she stand up and hold my banner from the other side,” recalls Reshat Dzhemilev.
In 1985, Zampira returned to Crimea, where she continued her activist work. She held great respect and gratitude for those who supported the Crimean Tatar national movement. Notably, she initiated the installation of a monument to Petro Hryhorenko in Simferopol and, in 2006, participated in commemorating the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group.
Zampira Asanova passed away on January 16, 2014, shortly before the tragic events in the history of Crimea and the Crimean Tatars. Her life embodied love for her people and the fight for justice. Her contribution to the national movement remains an enduring part of the history of the Crimean Tatar people.