Human Rights Watch states about repressions in Crimea

The human rights situation in the Russian-occupied Crimea remains repressive.

This is stated in the report of Human Rights Watch international human rights organization on the situation in Ukraine.

"People who decline Russian citizenship and retain their Ukrainian citizenship experience serious difficulties in accessing education, employment opportunities, or social benefits," the human rights activists say.

They also point out that the occupying power continues to silence critical voices and pressure Crimean Tatars, the ethnic minority which openly criticizes Russia’s actions in Crimea.

"In April, ATR-TV, a Crimean Tatar television channel known for its critical reporting that lead to Russia’s occupation, was forced to cease operating because it was not able to re-register under Russian law within the deadline set by authorities. Meydan radio station and Lale, a children’s television channel, which are part of the same media holding company as ATR-TV, also had to discontinue. In May, Crimean authorities once again refused to allow public events in Simferopol to commemorate the 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars," reads the report.

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