2014. Crimean Tatars: A displaced Identity

Crimean Tatars: A displaced Identity.

Crimea. The Muslim Turkic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population still estimated at under 300.000, continue to face an uncertain future as political tensions remain high on the disputed Crimean Peninsula.

Originally from the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they suffered persecution after Russia seized Crimea in the 18th century, were forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan during WWII under accusations of Nazi collaboration, and later returned to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The Crimean Tatars have consistently defended Ukraine’s territorial integrity, refusing to recognize the results of the 2014 referendum, which their leaders described as a farce, and rejecting the subsequent control imposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

More than a decade after Russia’s annexation, old wounds and fears persist. Many Tatars recall how ethnic cleansing targeted Muslims in Bosnia in the 1990s, and appeals for international protection have resurfaced as repression deepens. Communities worry about renewed land seizures by the authorities, including plots they reclaimed upon returning from Stalinist deportation, as well as the expansion of state-backed settlements and commercial developments.

Today the Crimean Tatars, who make up between 12 percent and 15 percent of the peninsula’s population, continue to push for meaningful autonomy and international recognition of their rights under ongoing Russian control.
Birds are seen flying in the sky near Perevalnoye ukranian military base where armed uniformed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, surrounded base in the village of Perevalnoye near the Crimean city of Simferopol March 20th, 2014. MAYSUN
Smail, a Tatar neighbour from Pionerska village, near the city of Simferopol, Crimea, and his father, points at the image of former president Yanukovych on their television at their home. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Pionerska, near Simferopol. Crimea, Ukraine. March 11th, 2014. MAYSUN
Arzy, a Tatar woman born in Russia, contemplates the view of the town of Bakhchisarai from one of her favourite places. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Bakhchisarai, Crimea. March 12th, 2014. MAYSUN
View of family pictures from Arzy, a Tatar woman born in Russia, some of them from her grandfather who fought in Soviet army as a parachute man. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Bakhchisarai, Crimea. March 16th 2014. MAYSUN
Smail, a Tatar neighbour from Pionerska village, near the city of Simferopol, Crimea, walks up the stairs of his house, which was built by his family, brick by brick. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Pionerska, near Simferopol. Crimea, Ukraine. March 11th 2014. MAYSUN
Elmira, a Tatar widow born in Uzbekistan and who lived in Spain for three years as she didn't have work in Crimea to feed her three children, plays with her dog in front of her house in the town of Bakhchisarai. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Bakhchisarai, Crimea. March 12th 2014. MAYSUN
Arzi, a Tatar woman born in Russia, poses with her family bron in Ukbekistan, at her home in Bakhchisarai, Crimea, where Tatars, the majority of the population in the town has boycotted the referendum on joining Russia. March 12th 2014. MAYSUN
A Crimean girl trains her horse outside an Ukrainian military base in the village of Perevalnoye near the Crimean city of Simferopol on the day of the referendum on joining Russia. March 16th 2014. MAYSUN
A Crimean Tatar boy plays accordion with another partner in the corridors of the Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University in the city of Simferopol, Crimea. March 21st 2014. MAYSUN
Two women sit on a bench in a park in a suburb in the city of Simferopol, Crimea, on March 14th 2014. MAYSUN
Bratislav, a serbian chetnik who cooperates alongside pro-russian self-defence units from Crimea, stands at a checkpoint 20 km from Sebastopol, Crimea. March 15th 2014. MAYSUN
A Crimean woman in a pizza restaurant in Simferopol, Crimea, on March 14th 2014. MAYSUN
Arzi, a Tatar woman born in Russia, shows the Crimean Tatar flag at her home in Bakhchisarai, Crimea, where Tatars, the majority of the population in the town has boycotted the referendum on joining Russia. March 16th 2014. MAYSUN
Crimean Tatars are seen in front of a mosque in the small village of Pionerska, near the city of Simferopol, Crimea. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Pionerska, near Simferopol. Crimea. March 11th 2014. MAYSUN
Arzy, a Tatar woman born in Russia, shows an old Quran from before the deportation, which belonged to her grandfather, who fought in Soviet army as a parachute man. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Bakhchisarai, Crimea, Ukraine. March 16th 2014. MAYSUN
Tatars pray at the mosque in the small village of Pionerska, near the city of Simferopol, Crimea. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Pionerska, near Simferopol. Crimea, Ukraine. March 11th 2014. MAYSUN
Tatars sit in a car during a night patrol. As pro-Russia soldiers occupy towns across Crimea, leaders of the region's Tatar minority are mobilizing unarmed field patrols on the town of Bakhchisarai, near the city of Simferopol, Crimea. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Bakhchisarai, Crimea, Ukraine. March 12th 2014. MAYSUN
Kosaks, members of the auto-defence voluntary forces protect the Parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea, on March 15th, 2014. MAYSUN.
Relatives at the funeral of the Reshat Ametov, participant of pro-Ukrianian meeting, father of 3, in Simferopol, Crimea. Last he was seen on March 3 on his way to enlist in the Ukrainian Army and was found dead with signs of torture on March 16. The Tatar community had decided to boycott the referendum for the accession of Crimea to Russia amid tensions and fear of reprisals.The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Simferopol, Crimea. March 18th, 2014. MAYSUN
A pro-russian self-defence soldier holds a weapon at a checkpoint 20 km from Sebastopol, Crimea. March 15th 2014. MAYSUN
View of the tomb of the Reshat Ametov, participant of pro-Ukrianian meeting, father of 3, in Simferopol, Crimea. Last he was seen on March 3 on his way to enlist in the Ukrainian Army and was found dead with signs of torture on March 16. The Tatar community had decided to boycott the referendum for the accession of Crimea to Russia amid tensions and fear of reprisals.The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine. March 18th 2014. MAYSUN
Elmira, a Tatar widow born in Uzbekistan and who lived in Spain for three years as she didn't have work in Crimea to feed her three children, remember the good times in Spain at her house in the town of Bakhchisarai. The ethnic Crimean Tatars, the region’s minority population face an uncertain future as political tensions continue to rise on disputed Crimean Peninsula. Originally of the Volga region of Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they were once forcibly deported by Joseph Stalin to Siberia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accused of collaboration with the Nazis, and then back to Crimea following Ukrainian independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Bakhchisarai, Crimea, Ukraine. March 12th 2014. MAYSUN
Reflection of mosque in a clock on sale at a kiosk Tatar, as Crimean Tatars attend the midday prayer at the mosque in Simferopol, Crimea. on March 14th 2014. MAYSUN
Refat Chubarov, the Tatar leader, attends a formal event near a monument of Ismail Gasprinskiy, a Crimean Tatar intellectual, educator, publisher and politician. He was one of the first Muslim intellectuals in the Russian Empire, who realized the need for education and cultural reform and modernization of the Turkic and Islamic communities. Simferopol, Crimea, on March 21st 2014. MAYSUN
A woman prays during a pro-ukranian demonstration that has taken place at Shevchenko Park, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of his birth, to protest for Crimea's accession to Russian. Simferopol, Crimea. March 09th 2014. MAYSUN
People voting at a polling station Bakhchisarai, Crimea, where Tatars, the majority of the population in the town has boycotted the referendum on joining Russia. March 16th 2014. MAYSUN
A crimean woman uses a russian flag as a layer in a bus in a street of Simferopol, Crimea. March 09th 2014. MAYSUN
View of fireworks as Crimean people celebrate the victory on the day of the referendum on joining Russia at Lenin Square, Simferopol, Crimea. March 22nd 2014. MAYSUN
Crimean people celebrating the victory on the day of the referendum on joining Russia, at Lenin Square, Simferopol, Crimea. March 17th 2014. MAYSUN