In Crimea, freedom of peaceful gatherings is limited, and the arrest of activists testifies to the escalation of repression against the Crimean Tatars.
This was stated by the head of the apparatus of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (US Helsinki Commission) Alex Johnson on September 19 in Warsaw at the OSCE meeting on the human dimension, the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reports.
“Freedom of assembly is limited in […] Crimea, where strict laws have been introduced to prevent meetings and demonstrations. The arrest of 23 public activists this year means an escalation of repression against the Crimean Tatars,” Johnson said.
The representative of the US Helsinki Commission emphasised that “Russia views freedom of peaceful assembly as a threat, and not as human rights.”
