"Almost 80 years ago, on May 8, 1944, the soviet totalitarian government launched an operation to deport Crimean Tatars, which resulted in the eviction of 180,014 people from Crimea," the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine emphasized in his opening remarks.
He noted that the deportation had catastrophic consequences for the entire Crimean Tatar people: "During the year before the end of World War II, more than 30,000 Crimean Tatars died of hunger, disease and exhaustion."
"On this day — the Day of Struggle for the Rights of the Crimean Tatar People — Ukraine will honor the memory of the victims of this criminal offense and crime against humanity," the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine emphasized.
At the same time, Ruslan Stefanchuk reminded that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, by its Resolution of November 12, 2015 "On Recognizing the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People," recognized the deportation of Crimean Tatars from Crimea in 1944 as genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.
In addition, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine noted that May 18 is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide, which is commemorated annually. The Organizing Committee, as a temporary advisory body, was established to properly organize and conduct events on this date.
In conclusion, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that the task for today and the coming days is to process the proposals and recommendations made to finalize the action plan for commemorating the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide.