The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) condemns the shutdown of many Crimean Tatar media outlets by Russian occupation authorities, including ATR TV, the last independent television station serving the Crimean Tatar population on the peninsula.
Since the illegal annexation by the Russian Federation of Crimea over one year ago residents have been subjected to persecution and intimidation as part of a concerted effort to silence and isolate them from the rest of Ukraine.
“The number of documented violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms being committed by the Russian Federation in Crimea is staggering, among them harassment, violence and threats against journalists,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij. “The shameless shutdown of independent Crimean Tatar media violates the freedom of speech and necessitates an appropriate reaction from the international community.”
For more on human rights violations in Crimea read the recent report by The Atlantic Council and Freedom House Human Rights Abuses in Russian-Occupied Crimea.
