You're reading: Life ‘changed for the worse’ under Yanukovych, says Crimean Tatar leader

Prominent dissident and human rights activist Mustafa Dzhemilev splits his time between Kyiv and the Crimean peninsula, combining his roles as head of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatars’ unofficial parliament, and a member of the Ukrainian parliament.

Having spent 15 years in prisons and labor camps during the Soviet period, Dzhemilev was freed only in 1986. He returned to Crimea from Uzbekistan in 1989.

Having served as a head of Mejlis since its establishment in 1991, Dzhemilev, 67, has declared his wish to vacate his seat; however, members have not accepted his resignation yet.

The Kyiv Post spoke with Dzhemilev about his communication with President Viktor Yanukovych, land issues in Crimea and fears of separatism on the Crimean peninsula.

Кyiv Post: Has the situation in Crimea changed since Viktor Yanukovych became president?

Mustafa Dzhemilev: It changed for the worse, at least for now. Our council supported Yulia Tymoshenko during last elections. We did not think she is a perfect candidate, but… We could not have supported Yanukovych due to many reasons. He had very controversial people in his team. Take [Interior Minister] Anatoliy Mohylyov who used to head Crimean police and carried out a lot of unlawful actions against Crimean Tatars. He also publicly said that deportation of our people was justified.

KP: Comparing Yanukovych with previous presidents, who was the most supportive and aware of Tatars’ problems?

MD: [Former President Leonid] Kuchma came to Crimea at least twice a year. He used to meet us, ask about problems and give orders. Of course 90 percent of them were sabotaged but we appreciated the attention. We had meetings with Yanukovych as well, but his team decided to reshuffle Crimean Tatars’ council.

Thirty-three seats shrank to 19, including eight members of the Mejlis and 11 representatives of different groups and parties, despite the fact that nobody voted for those 11 representatives.

It is absurd to appoint representatives of people in the 21st century. All attempts to support those groups and parties by presidential administration came crashing down, as they even did not get minimum 3 percent support during last local elections. Milifirka party was one of them.

They became famous when they wrote a public letter to [Russian President Dmytry] Medvedev during last Russian-Georgian war and asked him to protect Crimean Tatars from genocide from Ukrainian authorities. They invited Russian tanks to Crimea.

KP: How influential are radical parties and groups in Crimea?

MD: These are pro-Russian groups. Milifirka, it had 23 members in its best times. Crimean Tatars have always supported autonomy under Ukraine and they still do.

KP: In previous interviews you said Russia might be interested in destabilizing situation in Crimea. In what way?

MD: The Russian fleet based in Crimea is too weak to pose any threat, but it includes 23,000 thousand Russian military personnel. During the war with Georgia [in 2008], Russia used the fleet to attack the Georgian port of Poti. Georgia had every right to attack in response not only the fleet but its base as well. So Ukraine could have been involved in somebody else’s war.

It’s no secret that Russians were issuing passports to Abkhaz in Georgia and then declared that Russian citizens are being abused there. But nobody is checking on how many people in Crimea have double Ukrainian-Russian citizenship, which is against the law.

Russia even does not have to bring in its troops from Russia, they are already in Crimea. And the Russian fleet is only fueling separatism.

Of course, 75 percent of Russian-speaking people in Crimea see their future under Russian Federation. More than 80 percent of them have arrived or are descendants of those who arrived to Crimea after Second World War.

They have their relatives, friends in Russia and we understand their desire to go back to their motherland. We wanted to come back to our motherland too.

So we packed our bags and came back. But they wanted to come back with Crimea. And instead of dealing with this problem, the Ukrainian authorities are supporting them. This is something we are very concerned about.

KP: At the same time you want autonomy for Crimean Tatars. What does that imply?

MD: We see our future in Ukraine, but with wide autonomy. That means we want things to be back as they were before the deportation. In 1921 autonomous republic was created and Crimean Tatar language was the official language, with Russian. In 1944 Tatars were deported and the republic was liquidated. So now we want our language to have an official status in Crimea and have more Crimean Tatars in local authorities. We do not ask for any privileges, as we know that privileges lead to degradation. We just want to protect our rights.

KP: Members of Simferopol city council have just supported the decision on issuing a land plot for construction of a Grand Mosque. Does that mean that the authorities are finally cooperating?

MD: That question was sabotaged for years. It was not a question of land, it became a question of respect. [Prime Minister of Crimea Vasyl] Dzharty came to the council himself and asked members to support the decision. And they had a solid vote on it. Previously we were trying to convince them but they were adamant – no land for Tatars. And now, after an order from above they all vote for it! Members of council act like they do not have a mind and opinion of their own. Why have these councils at all then? Same with Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament]. When you talk to members and ask for their support, you get the response that they should ask other guys and wait for a signal from president administration.

KP: Crimean Tatars constitute around 13 percent of the Crimean population. How are they represented in local authorities?

MD: Very poorly – from 0 to 4.5 per cent. There is not a single Tatar in SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] and not a single judge. We are constantly raising this question. I remember saying to Kuchma that the only Tatars working for SBU are informers. After Yanukovych came to power the amount even decreased. Last night I got a call from deputy minister of healthcare in Crimea, Tair Musayev. He says he was told to vacate his seat, as there was an order from Kyiv to have somebody from Donetsk Oblast appointed. I do not understand, is there high unemployment in Donetsk Oblast? Forty percent of Crimean authorities consist of people from Makiyivka now. We are like an occupied territory.

KP: You paid a visit to Turkey recently and reached an agreement on aid to Crimean Tatars. At the same time, many fear Turkey might be potentially interested in destabilizing the situation in Crimea.

MD: I went to Turkey with an official delegation, headed by [Speaker of Ukrainian parliament Volodymyr] Lytvyn. I was talking about us needing help with building new schools. At the moment we have only 15 schools in Crimea where children can get some knowledge of the Crimean Tatar language. We need at least 10 times more schools. The Turkish prime minister gave an order to finish a school near Simferopil and to build a new one in Bachchysaray by Sept. 1. But so far the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy has not approved the program of Turkish funding. We’ll see how it goes, but so far looks like Ukrainian government is not helping us and not permitting others to help.

KP: You have headed Mejlis since 1991 and said previously that you want to step down. What do you plan to do after your resignation?

MD: I have headed Mejlis for so long that it has become undemocratic. There should be a change of leaders. I even threatened members of Mejlis that I will arrange for myself to be brought down, like [former Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak. (Laughs) Nobody lives forever and before the end of life one wants to make sure that one’s lifetime work is passed on to next generation. I will have more spare time and maybe will write a book.

Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected]