Meeting of Crimean Tatars

Chairman of SCSA Sergiy Kunitzyn, left, and chairman of Sevastopol City Council Valeriy Saratov, right, cutting the ribbons during mourning rally dedicated to the 64th anniversary of deportation of the Crimean Tartars in Sevastopol (Crimea), on Sunday, May 18, 2008. On May 18, 1944 by the order of I. Stalin over 200 thousand Crimean Tartars were forcibly deportee from Crimea to republics of Central Asia during three days, where many of them died of hunger and misery. All deportee Crimean Tartars and their children, who returned to Crimea, has been celebrating this day recently as Sorrow Day of Crimean Tartars, they carry out rallies demanding from officials to help to people, who returned from deportation and also renewal of national Crimean – Tartar autonomy in Crimea. Germans, Armenians, Greeks and Italians were also deportee from Crimea. More than 200 Crimean Tartars live in Crimea today, it makes up near 12% of population of Crimea Autonomous Republic. Photo by Aleksandr Yurchenko /UNIAN