Crimean Tatars are in a dangerously unsecure situation and ethnic Ukrainians have become a new focus of concern in the Crimean peninsula, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said in a report on 12 May. “As of 1 April, around 3,000 people, mainly women and children, had fled Crimea after its annexation by the Russian Federation, out of fear for their own safety and future status. Eighty per cent of these were Crimean Tatars,” according to the report prepared at the request of Ukraine’s government.
The report underscored human rights violations such as murder, physical assaults, intimidation and hate speech against pro-Maidan activists and journalists. The organisation started a monitoring mission to Ukraine on March 3 after tensions rose following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.