A/HRC/28/64/Add.1
State pensions, and the possible loss of government jobs. Civil servants and law
enforcement officials are required under Russian law to formally relinquish their Ukrainian
passports since those who occupy government jobs cannot hold dual citizenship.23 Some
expressed concern that Ukrainian citizens would feel compelled not to refuse Russian
citizenship owing to the potential impact on their human rights. Equally, expectations of a
hostile climate towards those with pro-Ukrainian views and those who wished to remain
Ukrainian might encourage more people to leave.
49.
The Special Rapporteur consulted leaders of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis (the selfgoverning body of Tatars). The return of Tatars, who are the indigenous inhabitants of the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea, following their mass deportation in 1944, resulted in
reported friction with the significant Russian population. Repatriation programmes were
reportedly insufficiently funded and many returnees lacked adequate support. Issues of
concern included high unemployment among Tatars and competition for land, despite their
claims to land rights as indigenous people. There was no compensation provided for the
properties that Tatars had lost and many, lacking access to land, occupied public lands.
Consequently incidents of confrontation with other communities and the police have been
recorded.
50.
It is of great concern that many Crimean Tatars will refuse to accept Russian
citizenship or authority which may render them even more vulnerable. Most Crimean
Tatars boycotted the March 2014 referendum.24 Sergey Aksyonov, who at the time was
“governor” in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, reportedly stated publically that
Crimean Tatars should “leave if they don’t like it”. Some Crimean Tatar leaders who
travelled out of the Republic have faced restrictions on re-entering, including the former
head of the Mejlis, Mustafa Dzhemilev, who called for a boycott of the “referendum”. On
22 April, he was banned from travelling to the Republic for five years, leading to protests
and subsequently a warning from the de facto authorities that the Mejlis could be dissolved
if it supported “extremist activities”. On 5 July, a ban on entry was imposed on the current
head of the Mejlis, Refat Chubarov, reportedly for “extremist statements”. Charges were
reportedly brought against 30 protestors and fines imposed. The authorities imposed a
temporary ban on public protests in advance of the seventieth anniversary of the deportation
of Crimean Tatars.
51.
Some incidents have heightened anxiety within Tatar communities. On 3 March
2014 a Tatar labourer, Reshat Ametov, disappeared after reportedly being led away from a
protest in Simferopol by unknown men in camouflage. His body was found days later in the
mixed ethnic community of Belogorsk. Prior to the referendum of 16 March, Tatar
communities reportedly had crosses marked on the walls or gates of their homes, which
allegedly heightened anxiety regarding potential targeting. OHCHR stated that some Tatar
representatives had mentioned concerns over unidentified uniformed men claiming rights
on Tatar properties and land and reports of plans to relocate some communities .25
52.
At the time of drafting, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) reported over 10,000 verified IDPs in 24 regions as of 20 May 2014,
the majority having left the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, with numbers continuing to
23
24
25
14
EUDO Observatory on Citizenship, “The aftermath of annexation: Russia and Ukraine adopt
conflicting rules for changing citizenship of Crimean residents” (11 April 2014), available from
http://eudo-citizenship.eu/news/citizenship-news/1113-the-aftermath-of-annexation-russia-andukraine-adopt-conflicting-rules-for-changing-citizenship-of-crimean-residents.
OHCHR was informed by representatives of Crimean Tatars that no more than 1,000 out of a
population of 290,000–300,000 participated in the 16 March referendum.
June 2014 OHCHR report on the human rights situation in Ukraine (see note 16 above).