An agreement on simplified Uzbekistani expatriation and Ukrainian naturalization procedures was enacted September 5. The Day met with People’s Deputy of Ukraine Refat Chubarov, Deputy Speaker of the Mejlis Crimean Tatar Parliament, and asked him to comment on the document.
Q.: How are the Crimean Tatars returning from deportation treated in terms of naturalization?
A.: There are 64,000 Crimean Tatars in the Crimea now, still formally citizens of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistani law envisages extremely complicated and costly expatriation procedures: each individual has to pay at least $100-200.
Beginning in 1992, this problem has been discussed internationally. It took the efforts of two international organizations, the OSCE and UN, to arrange for the presidents of Uzbekistan and Ukraine to agree on simplified and free expatriation-naturalization procedures. This understanding was reached in August and enacted on September 5. Now all Crimean Tatars living in Ukraine can fill in expatriation and naturalization questionnaires addressed to the Presidents. The documents are then forwarded to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s passport desk and each applicant will be granted Ukrainian citizenship in six months.
Q.: Will there be any compensations for the material damage suffered by the Crimean Tatars when deported?
A.: There isn’t a single law in Ukraine regulating, establishing, and determining the repatriation procedures and the repatriates’ integration into Ukrainian society, and the same applies to compensation procedures.
Today, out of 260,000 repatriated Crimean Tatars over 100,000 remain homeless. People have been living in terrible condition for the past 5-7 years, in basements, and many can see the homes they had lived in before deportation.
Of course, I realize that in the current economic situation Ukraine can hardly be expected to make compensation immediately, but if appropriate official decisions are made people will have reason to hope that eventually, after getting out of the crisis, Ukraine will remember to solve the Crimean Tatar problem.
Q.: Was the Crimean Tatar issue discussed by the International Conference on Human Rights for Human Development in Yalta (September 2-4)?
A.: Yes, certain aspects were discussed in Yalta. There are organizations in many countries whose statutes, like that of the Mejlis, do not tally with the legally adopted concept of volunteer organizations or political parties. The conference discussed the possibility of developing a legal framework for just such organizations. The Ukrainian Cabinet has on more than one occasion passed resolutions on such legal networks meant for the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, but...
Some time ago a draft presidential edict was composed and backed by a number of experts, recognizing the Mejlis as a consultative body representing the Crimean Tatars before the President of Ukraine, but it was never signed.
Q.: How real is the possibility of a conflict between the Crimean Tatars and the rest of the Crimean populace?
A.: Many recall how two Crimean Tatars were killed in one Crimean market in 1995. After that Crimean Tatars burned down several enterprises, believing that the murderers had something to do with them.
There are no reasons for conflict now and the Crimean situation is normal enough, but if somebody needs to trigger a conflict for political purposes he could do it. This means that the central government should solve the Crimean Tatar problem, the sooner the better.







