Written declaration No. 582 | Doc. 13623 | 02 October 2014

Massive violations of the rights of Crimean Tatars in Crimea unlawfully occupied by the Russian Federation

Signatories: Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Pedro AGRAMUNT, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Charles ALLAVENA, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Volodymyr ARIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Viorel Riceard BADEA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Eka BESELIA, Georgia, SOC ; Ms Gülsün BİLGEHAN, Turkey, SOC ; Ms Tinatin BOKUCHAVA, Georgia, EPP/CD ; Ms Sílvia Eloïsa BONET PEROT, Andorra, SOC ; Ms Elena CENTEMERO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Christopher CHOPE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Ms Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway, SOC ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Henryk CIOCH, Poland, EDG ; Mr Agustín CONDE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Paolo CORSINI, Italy, SOC ; Mr David CRAUSBY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Pascale CROZON, France, SOC ; Mr Reha DENEMEÇ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Şaban DİŞLİ, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Ms Tülin ERKAL KARA, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Cătălin Daniel FENECHIU, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Ute FINCKH-KRÄMER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Gvozden Srećko FLEGO, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Daniel FLOREA, Romania, SOC ; Mr Hans FRANKEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Mehmet Kasim GÜLPINAR, Turkey, EDG ; Ms Ana GUŢU, Republic of Moldova, ALDE ; Mr Gediminas JAKAVONIS, Lithuania, ALDE ; Ms Stella JANTUAN, Republic of Moldova, SOC ; Mr Tedo JAPARIDZE, Georgia, SOC ; Ms Kristin Ørmen JOHNSEN, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Giorgi KANDELAKI, Georgia, EPP/CD ; Mr Igor KOLMAN, Croatia, ALDE ; Mr Rom KOSTŘICA, Czech Republic, EPP/CD ; Mr Pierre-Yves LE BORGN', France, SOC ; Mr Jacob LUND, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Guguli MAGRADZE, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Philippe MAHOUX, Belgium, SOC ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Rubén MORENO PALANQUES, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr João Bosco MOTA AMARAL, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr Michele NICOLETTI, Italy, SOC ; Mr Pieter OMTZIGT, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Ms Liisa-Ly PAKOSTA, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Ms Fatma PEHLIVAN, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Cezar Florin PREDA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Mechthild RAWERT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Luc RECORDON, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Kimmo SASI, Finland, EPP/CD ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Urs SCHWALLER, Switzerland, EPP/CD ; Mr Ömer SELVİ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Oleksandr SHEVCHENKO, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Andrej ŠIRCELJ, Slovenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Chiora TAKTAKISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Konstantinos TRIANTAFYLLOS, Greece, SOC ; Mr Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Ahmet Kutalmiş TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, ALDE ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Eric VORUZ, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Klaas de VRIES, Netherlands, SOC ; Mr Robert WALTER, United Kingdom, EDG

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

The undersigned members express their grave concern over the series of disturbing violations of the rights of Crimean Tatars and their leader Mr Mustafa Dzhemilev by the self-proclaimed pro-Russian Crimean authorities including:

- pressure exerted on Mr Mustafa Dzhemilev who has been banned from entering Crimea by the self-proclaimed Crimean authorities because of strong support for Ukraine’s unity and criticism of the actions of Russia’s leadership;

- unlawful detention of Mustafa Dzhemilev’s son, Mr Hayser Dzhemilev, as a hostage of the occupying authorities of Crimea and Russia in violation of Article 5 of the European Convention of Human Rights for exerting additional pressure on the leader of Crimean Tatars;

- frequent unlawful searches in Crimean Tatars’ homes and offices, groundless criminal proceedings, obstacles to free disposal of their property, restrictions put on the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly.

We call upon the Russian authorities to respect the rights of Crimean Tatars and urge the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to insist that Russia respects its obligations as a member State of the Council of Europe.