Ukrainian foreign ministry opened an exhibition project about Russia's persecution of Crimean Tatars in the temporarily occupied Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The exhibition called "Being yourself is not a crime!" opened by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba on March 9 at the Ministry's building.
The project focuses on the children of Crimean Tatars, political prisoners who have been illegally imprisoned by Russia on fabricated charges of "extremism" and "terrorism."
"The carefree childhood of many Crimean children ended on the day when members of the secret services of the Russian occupation authorities broke into their homes. Today, more than 200 minor children are left without parental care. Following arrests, in some villages where Crimean Tatars live compactly so-called "women's" streets appeared. Many children need long-term psychological rehabilitation," the Ministry said in a statement.
First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar commented on the event on Twitter, saying that publicity saves lives.
"Name [of the exhibition] speaks for itself as Russia commits persecutions of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea based on nationality and religious grounds to sow fear and control people. We strive to spread awareness about crimes. Publicity saves lives!"
According to the Foreign Ministry, the purpose of the exhibition project is to intensify Ukraine’s diplomatic struggle for the release of all political prisoners of the Kremlin, draw the attention of the international community to disproportionately long imprisonment terms, appalling conditions for illegally detained Ukrainians, and Russia’s violations of international humanitarian law.
