May 10, 2025
“This gathering serves as an important reminder of the crime against humanity committed by the Soviet leadership against the Crimean Tatar nation,” stated Zera Mustafaieva, President of the Crimean Tatar Foundation USA and research scholar at the Brian Lamb School of Communication, Purdue University. “Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the resumption of repressions against Ukraine’s indigenous people, the memory of the 1944 genocide takes on special significance.”
“Historical documents testify, in May 1944, while thousands of Crimean Tatars were fighting in the ranks of the Red Army against fascism, NKVD troops surrounded all Crimean Tatar villages and, under threat of execution, gave women, children, and the elderly 10-15 minutes to pack,” said Zarema Mustafaieva, Vice President of the Crimean Tatar Foundation USA and research scholar at Purdue University. “While Crimean Tatar soldiers were defending the Soviet state, that same state was conducting ethnic cleansing by repressing their families. The forced expulsion of Crimean Tatars began at 3:00 AM on May 18 and ended on May 20. Women, children, and the elderly were loaded into cattle cars and transported for 4 weeks without food or water. According to statistics of the Crimean Tatar researchers, 46.2% of the people-nation died in the first 18 months — 70% of them children.”
“Crimean Tatars, survivors of genocide who returned to their historical homeland, have consistently upheld Ukraine’s territorial integrity, casting decisive votes for Ukrainian Independence in the 1991 referendum. Their crucial support ensured Crimea remained within Ukraine, effectively countering Russian separatist movements on the peninsula. Today, they continue this unwavering commitment as defenders of Ukrainian sovereignty,” said Roxolana Wynar, Human Rights Advocate at the Crimean Tatar Foundation USA, Inc.
Participants will gather at 6:30 PM at the Victims of Communism Memorial (1440 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001), with the candle-lighting ceremony beginning at 7:00 PM. The program includes performances of the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian anthems, testimonies from genocide survivors and their descendants, and a moment of silence.
The remembrance ceremony is expected to be attended by representatives of the Ukrainian diplomatic corps in the United States, U.S. government officials, human rights advocates, community leaders, and representatives of the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian diaspora. The commemoration is open to the public and media.
Contact:
Ruzhdy Hoffmaster
info@crimeantatarfoundation.org
Crimean Tatar Foundation USA, Inc.
Historical Background:
On May 18, 1944, under Joseph Stalin’s orders, Soviet authorities led by Beria began the forced expulsion of the entire Crimean Tatar nation from their historical homeland, Crimea. The ‘special operation’ began at 3:00 AM on May 18 and ended on May 20. According to researchers, about 46.2% of the people died in the first 18 months after the eviction. The Crimean ASSR was liquidated, 1,444 historical toponyms in Crimea were changed, Crimean Tatars were excluded from the list of nationalities of the USSR, and they were denied the right to return to their homeland until the late 1980s.
It is critically important to note that none of the 13 articles of the Law on Rehabilitation of Repressed Peoples has been implemented regarding the Crimean Tatar people-nation, unlike other repressed peoples of the USSR. At the same time, significant progress in legislative recognition of Crimean Tatar rights in Ukraine should be acknowledged. In November 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine officially recognized the repressions of 1944 as genocide of the Crimean Tatar people. And at the initiative of President Zelensky, on July 1, 2021, the historic Law ‘On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine’ was adopted, which legally established the status of Crimean Tatars as an indigenous people with corresponding rights to self-determination and protection of cultural identity. These strategically important steps by the Zelensky administration and the Ukrainian parliament became a comprehensive recognition of the historical rights of the people at the state level, paving the way for restoring historical justice after Crimea returns to Ukrainian control. However, its implementation remains difficult under the conditions of ongoing occupation. The contrast between this formal recognition and the continued non-implementation of rehabilitation measures represents an ongoing legal contradiction that requires resolution.