4 yıl önce

Turkey decries conviction of Crimean Tatars by Russian court

Turkey will continue to stand with the Crimean Tatars, who peacefully defend their rights and interests and strive to make their voices heard through democratic methods, says Turkey's Foreign Ministry.

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This undated photo shows Turkish Foreign Ministry, Ankara, Turkey.

Turkey has condemned the conviction of seven Crimean Tatars by a Russian court earlier this week.

The country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday: "It is regrettable to suppress the Tatar Turkish community, which is the essential element of the Crimean Peninsula, by such methods."

The statement added that Turkey will continue to stand with the Crimean Tatars, who peacefully defend their rights and interests and strive to make their voices heard through democratic methods.

On Wednesday, a military court in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, sentenced the Crimean Tatars to prison for 13 to 19 years over "terror" charges.

The EU called on Russia to quash this ruling and to release all illegally detained Ukrainians without delay.

Ukraine: recent sentencing in Rostov on Don of persons arrested in #Crimea is illegal under international law. 🇪🇺 calls on Russia to reverse these decisions, release all illegally detained Ukrainians and end pressure on Crimean Tatar community. https://t.co/NIOs7l0lpL
— Peter Stano (@ExtSpoxEU) September 18, 2020

Russian occupation

Russian forces entered the Crimean Peninsula in February 2014, with Russian President Vladimir Putin formally dividing the region into two separate federal subjects of the Russian Federation the following month.

Since then, Crimean Tatars have continued their struggle for Ukraine's territorial integrity against Russian occupation.

Crimea's ethnic Tatars have faced persecution since Russia's 2014 takeover of the peninsula, a situation Turkey has decried.

Turkey and the US, as well as the UN General Assembly, view the annexation as illegal.