Leonid Kuchma, while attending the recent sitting of the Council of Crimean Tatar People’s Representatives under the President of Ukraine in Yalta, instructed the law enforcement authorities to analyze the situation in the autonomous republic and prevent the further spread of ethnic and religious confrontation. To inquire what has really been done along these lines, The Day’s correspondent interviewed Crimean Prosecutor General Oleksandr DOBROREZ, Councilor of Justice First Class.
The Day: How are repatriates getting acclimatized in Crimean society? Are any problems solved? What are your concerns?
O. D.: The autonomous republic’s prosecutor’s office is carefully monitoring observance of the law in the interethnic and interfaith sphere, as well as how former deportees are accommodated. Toward the end of summer, specifically as of August 1, 2001, a total of 258,778 Crimean Tatars along with over 3,000 formerly deported Bulgars, Greeks, Germans, and Armenians returned for permanent residence in the republic. At present, the deportees make up 12.1% of the population. Some 300 settlements and compact [ethnic] communities have formed, mostly in Simferopol, Yevpatoriya, Sudak, and in Simferopol, Bakhchisarai, Bilohirsk, and several other districts.
The Day: Everybody seems to be discussing land allocations for the Crimean Tatars. What makes the problem so urgent?
O. D.: This problem is aggravated by the fact that the process of placing the land under collective ownership and dividing it into shares has been practically completed on the peninsula. Over 200,000 Crimean Tatars (9.9%) have been issued land certificates. The average size of a distributed plot 5.1 hectares. 1.1 million ha. of arable soil are under collective ownership. The available land and resources amount to 290,000 ha., of which 72,000 are temporarily used by agricultural enterprises.
The prosecutor’s office carries out regular inspections to confirm observance of the law and other regulatory documents relating to this problem, and with regard to the deportees.
The Day: Have any transgressions been detected?
O. D.: Breaches of the law On Citizens’ Statements in terms of land allocations for the deportees, where detected in Sudak, Krasnohvardeisk, Krasnoperekopsk, Pervomaisky, and a number of other districts. On August 18, 1999, deportees and social workers addressed a statement to V. Khliustov, chairman of the Amursky village council (Krasnohvardeisk district), requesting land shares. By November 1, 1999, the village council had received 257 such requests, all disregarded. At the same time, the council’s executive committee passed a resolution, January 28, 2000, allocating 511 hectares to twenty individuals holding various posts in local institutions and their relatives, including Khliustov’s wife and daughter. In May 2001, the Krasnohvardiysk district prosecutor entered an objection to the executive committee’s unlawful resolution (the latter was subsequently invalidated). A charge of corruption has been forwarded to a court of law.
A difficult situation developed in early spring at the Uhlovsky village council, Bakhchisarai district. In March 2001, a group of deportees took the council chairman into custody on official premises for quite some time, demanding cancellation of the resolution of March 22, 2000. Under that resolution, 211 hectares had been allocated the Chornomorets Co. as collective property from the council’s reserve, so 87 new staff members of that firm could receive land shares. The district prosecutor entered a protest that was sustained and the unlawful resolution canceled. A similar situation developed at the village council of Zheleznodorozhnensky district and justice was restored only after the prosecutor’s protest.
The Day: The interfaith situation also seems alarming, as breaches of the laws relating to religious communities can trigger off a conflict. Any comment?
O. D.: In this sense, the Crimean peninsula is a very special region of Ukraine. At present we have 916 officially registered religious organizations. 318 religious communities are organized primarily on an ethnic and denominational basis, making up 35% of the Crimean religious network. Islam is represented by the largest ethnic-religious associations (275 religious organizations), followed Orthodox adherents. Former religious structures must be returned to the believers, as this will help stability on the peninsula, rather than kindle the fire of discord. All disputes relating to the coexistence of Moslem and Christian symbols must be settled in a civilized lawful manner, not in the middle of the night, as was the case with the vandalized public crosses. The case is under criminal investigation. Late last year, the central and local prosecutor offices checked observance of the law of Ukraine On the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations by local authorities. Sanctions were levied where necessary and a report forwarded to the peninsula’s Council of Ministers.
Economic and social hardships involved in the return of deportees in a way, give succor to extremist ethnic leaders (not only from among the Crimean Tatars, but also others, among them Russians) trying to solve problems only by means of mass actions and at times by provocations, often disturbances of the public peace. Some volunteer organizations and political parties, operating illegally, are manifestly ethnic by nature (apart from the Majlis, we have many other unregistered organizations), acting purposefully to destabilize the situation in the republic. This is contrary to the interests of society and the prosecutor’s office will respond adequately. Meanwhile, bodies of the Internal Affairs Ministry [the militia] at times fail to carry out their duty and prevent violations of civil rights and freedoms, and the inviolability of public property. A letter of guidance has been forwarded to the head of the chief directorate of Internal Affairs in the Crimea, admonishing to uphold law and order.
A number of criminal cases are being investigated, three representations and directives have been addressed to local self-government authorities, and other measures taken along the lines of prosecutor’s supervision. Interethnic relationships were discussed in June 2001, at an extended meeting if the board of prosecutors of the republic; a coordinating meeting is scheduled for October. In a word, we will make every effort to preserve peace and accord in our republic.
The Editors wish to thank the press service of the Crimean republican prosecutor’s office for assistance with the preparation of this feature.
