By Alexander Winning SIMFEROPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - Defying a ban by their new Russian-backed rulers, thousands of Crimean Tatars gathered at a mosque on Sunday to commemorate the day 70 years ago the mass deportation of their families began under the orders of Soviet leader Josef Stalin. Crimea's Muslim Tatars are among the most vociferous opponents of Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and have condemned as "inhuman" the temporary ban on mass gatherings, which was issued just days before the symbolic date in the minority group's history. The 1944 Soviet-era deportation of some 200,000 Tatars to Siberia and Central Asia killed many and is a reason for Tatars' deep mistrust of the Russian authorities.
Read More http://ift.tt/1oEi2Wi
No comments:
Post a Comment