Reveal Putin's duplicity! Cancel the travel ban on Dzhemilev, the leader of the Crimean Tatars!

The participants of the Petersburg Dialogue in Leipzig should use their talks with the representatives of the Russian civil society on Wednesday to criticize Vladimir Putin's duplicity and to demand a cancellation of the travel ban against Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader of the Crimean Tatars – as demanded by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) during a vigil in front of the conference building. "Now, the Petersburg Dialogue must show backbone: Don't be afraid to reveal the true face of the Russian president, who dares to rehabilitate the Crimean Tatars, who were collectively expelled in 1944, while placing a ban on their most important representatives at the same time," explained Sarah Reinke, expert on the CIS-states on behalf of the STP.

On Thursday, Putin had rehabilitated the Crimean Tatars, the Germans and other peoples who had been deported to Central Asia under Joseph Stalin – but on the other hand, he banned Mustafa Dzhemilev from entering the Russian Federation – including Crimea – until 2019. Dzhemilev had publicly complained about the fact that Crimean Tatars who refused to apply for a Russian passport until April 18 had lost their jobs, and had also warned about further discrimination. The Soviet dissident has been organizing the return of the Crimean Tatars to the peninsula since the late eighties. Because of his non-violent resistance against the Soviet regime, the member of the parliament in Kiev is also known as the "Mahatma Gandhi of the Crimean Tatars".

"Mustafa Dzhemilev's situation must be discussed openly. Don't be fobbed off with more lies!", Reinke addressed the participants of the Petersburg Dialogue. "Dzhemilev must be able to move around freely in Crimea. It is his home! The travel ban must be lifted immediately!" Human rights activist also warned against the increasing suppression of democratic movements in Russia. "Putin is trying to take advantage of the situation in Ukraine in order to suppress critics in Russia, to silence the media and to militarize and isolate the Russian society," said Reinke. Since March, the most popular independent news site Lenta.ru no longer exists in its previous form. Galina Timchenko, the chief editor, was fired – and most of the other journalists subsequently quit of their own accord. Shortly after, the two government-critical websites grani.ru and kasparov.ru were blocked for allegedly promoting unauthorized mass protests.

"The freedom of the press and the Internet, the freedom of assembly and minority protection are cornerstones of a free civil society. Their considerable deterioration during the recent weeks must be questioned," demanded Reinke. "At the Petersburg Dialogue, you will notice that those who are said to be representatives of the Russian civil society in actual fact hand-picked Putin supporters."

Sarah Reinke - head of the Berlin office and STP's expert on Eastern Europe - is available for further questions: Tel. 030 428 048 91 or berlin@gfbv.de.