On 26 April, it has been 7 years since the Russian occupation administration in Crimea unlawfully banned the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people under the false pretext of recognizing its activities as "extremist."

The so-called "extremism" label is used by the Russian occupiers to stigmatize the highest representative body of the Crimean Tatars for refusing to recognize the Russian occupation of Crimea and to cooperate with the occupation authorities.

The ban on the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people is a crime committed by Russia against the indigenous people of Crimea, and a blatant disregard and violation of fundamental norms of international law, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

For seven consecutive years, Russia has been ignoring the Order of the International Court of Justice of April 19, 2017, in the case "Ukraine v. Russian Federation," which obliges Russia to "refrain from maintaining or imposing limitations on the ability of the Crimean Tatar people to conserve its representative institutions, including the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people," and to ensure the free access to and from the Crimean Peninsula for the leadership and members of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.

More than 180 Ukrainian citizens, residents of Crimea, continue to be held in prisons on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and in Russia for political reasons. In particular, the Russian occupiers illegally detain the First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Nariman Dzhelyal.

We firmly believe that soon the Ukrainian Crimea, like all other temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia, will be liberated, and the legitimate activities of all representative bodies of Ukraine, including the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, will be restored. The representatives of the occupation authorities will receive the appropriate legal assessment and punishment for their unlawful and criminal actions.