People in Crimea organize public commemorations of victims of the deportation of Crimean Tatars 

This information comes from the “Crimean Solidarity.” 

Activists say that people from different areas of Crimea come out and take pictures of themselves in front of their houses while holding signs and leaflets. Those signs usually include demands to stop repressions against Crimean Tatars.  

Some participants draw parallels between the tragic events of 1944 and present-day discrimination against Crimean Tatars by the Russian occupying authorities.  

“May 18th continues today… [Russian authorities put] False tags, evidence-free accusations and arrests, they deport our innocent compatriots far away from Crimea. They announce sentences with inhumane terms of imprisonment. National and religious repressions still exist. Crimean Tatars, Muslims suffer from deportation, which is covered up by a façade of fighting terrorism and article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code [extremism]. This flash-mob represents continuing repressions against a whole nation,” says Alie, a wife of a political prisoner Rustem Emiruseinov. 

According to the information of CrimeaSOS, 80 out of 102 currently arrested Crimean political prisoners are Crimean Tatars.