 Source: Moscow Helsinki Group Original source: Public Radio in Simferopol  According to the human rights defender, the Crimean Tatars who trusted the Crimean authorities and returned to Crimea, cannot receive citizenship. “They are selling up their property in Central Asia where they were deported, and are returning to their historical homeland, but here they are being told: Excuse us, but you have stayed here 90 days, have broken the permitted period of stay, we are imposing a fine on you, or - in a number of cases - we are deporting you back again. That means, back to that country from where you came,” says Makarov. Photo: Dmitry Makarov According to Dmitry Makarov the situation is complicated by the fact that the majority of Crimean Tatars who took the decision to return to Crimea, have already sold their homes in Central Asia and they simply don’t have anywhere else to go back to. “For many people there is already nowhere to return to. We have seen some decisions about deportation taken by such courts that still haven’t entered into force, but nevertheless have been handed down. And of course, this is a big problem because yet again they are not making it clear to people what is threatening them here, and moreover officially other statements are being made that everyone is welcome and and problems will be dealt with, but in reality this bureaucratic machine works in a different way,” says the human rights activist. In order to resolve this question, the human rights activists plan not only to contact the leadership of the Russian Federation Migration Service, but also to lodge appeals against the court judgments already handed down. Translated by Frances Robson |
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