The representatives of the Mission took part in the international conference “Crimea 2014-2017: Annexed Culture” devoted to the state of culture and provision of cultural rights on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea held on the 27th day of December, 2017 in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. The event was attended by the representatives of state bodies, people’s deputies of Ukraine, academics, and public activists with a live stand-up via Skype from Crimea.
The conference was held in a panel discussion format. The main speakers of the event were the Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Yevhen Nyschuk, people’s deputy of Ukraine, head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Refat Chubarov; people’s deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mykola Knyazhitsky.
The state of culture and the rights of citizens in the field of culture in the annexed Crimea, problems of protection of the cultural heritage (sights, nature reserves, museum collections and Museum Fund of Ukraine); language policy of the occupation authorities, the state of observance of human rights in the field of culture in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea under conditions of occupation and illegal excavatory archeology in Crimea in 2014-2017 were analyzed at the time of the conference. The participants of the conference discussed violations of human rights, denominations, religious organizations and ethnic groups in the temporarily occupied territory.
The following issues were raised at the conference: destruction of the Bakhchysarai Khan’s Palace by the occupation authorities, rapid simplification of the Russian legislation with the aim of appropriation of museum collections that are a part of the Museum Fund of Ukraine and belong to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. The participants of the conference were submitted the facts of removal of certain museum collections as a temporary exhibition to the aggressor state and failing to return them to the Crimean museums. Also, they were shown the photo materials from the place of restoration works of the Khan’s Palace, which have already led to a partial loss of the authenticity of this monument and intended to destroy this heritage-listed building.
The participants were pointed out an urgent need for active response to the illegal actions of the occupation authorities, appeals to international institutions and organizations and joining of Ukraine the Second Protocol of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954. According to the results of the conference, the Resolution “Crimea 2014-2017: annexed culture”, where the participants and organizers of the conference called on the international community, international organizations, governments, politicians, cultural figures not to give up the struggle for preservation of the unique cultural heritage of Crimea, and the President of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and other authorities to adopt the legislative acts and do a series of necessary actions to prevent violations of legislation in the field of culture in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea takes an active part in protecting the rights of the state and citizens in Crimea in the field of culture, intensifies its own interaction with competent executive authorities, currently conducting relevant legal and political processes in the international organizations and foreign countries.
The re-deployment of the Central Administration of the National Police in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to Kherson region initiated by the Mission and introduction of amendments to the Governmental Decree No. 1035 d.d. December 16th, 2015 by the bodies of executive power will improve a situation with regulation of removal of cultural property through the administrative border.
The counteraction of the law enforcement agencies to the illegal construction of “Tavrida” highway performed by the occupation authorities, at the time of which the organizations under control of the occupation authorities, massively destroy the heritage-listed buildings, plunder and remove the cultural heritage from the peninsula, is also of high importance.
The issue of regulation of authority that would be responsible for management of non-state property in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea under the conditions of the Crimean occupation shall be regulated too, since to such property belongs a number of objects of cultural and historical significance in Crimea.
Harassment of the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian languages, corresponding information and educational rights of the Ukrainian nation and indigenous people in Crimea by the occupation authorities are under constant control of the Mission. The Mission initiated the activation of lawmaking processes in the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in order to protect the rights of indigenous peoples of Ukraine, initiated the invitation of representatives of the United Nations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to monitor the situation.
The issue of protection of rights of the Ukrainian nation, indigenous people and national minorities in Crimea under the conditions of occupation were raised by the Mission at the OSCE events in Vienna and during the current interaction with international organizations.
The Mission keeps under special control a state of affairs in the only one school with Crimean Tatar language of teaching in mainland Ukraine located in the village of Novooleksiyivka, Henichesk district.