Representatives of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people filed a complaint with the ECHR against its ban

On March 29, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in connection with the ban by the Russian authorities of its activities and its inclusion in the list of extremist organizations.

In a complaint to the ECHR, representatives of the Mejlis pointed out that its inclusion in the list of extremist organizations and the termination of its activities violate Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In addition, the organization has been banned and its members are being persecuted for their political stance, in violation of Article 18 (Limits on Restrictions on Rights). The Mejlis also complained that the Russian courts did not recognize its status as a representative body of the indigenous Crimean people, thus violating Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination). Members of the Majlis also claim that they were deprived of the right to a fair trial (Article 6) and that they could not have imagined that their activities would violate anti-extremist legislation (Article 7 - punishment solely on the basis of the law).

The interests of the Mejlis in the ECtHR are represented by the Human Rights Center "Memorial", the European Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Ukrainian Helsinki Group for Human Rights.

In February 2016, the prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea filed an application with the court to recognize the Mejlis as an extremist organization. On April 26, 2016, the Mejlis was recognized as an extremist organization and banned by the decision of the Supreme Court of Crimea. On September 29, the Supreme Court of Russia dismissed the appeal against this decision.