The Lower House of the Polish Parliament, Sejm, adopted a resolution on Friday to officially commemorate the Crimean Tatar victims of Soviet genocide.
The resolution passed with overwhelming support, with 414 out of 432 MPs in favor, including members of both the ruling Civic Coalition Platform and the opposition-leading Law and Justice. The only dissenters were the 16 MPs from the far-right Konfederacja, while two MPs abstained.
The resolution recounts the tragic events of May 18, 1944, when Soviet authorities began the mass deportation of Crimean Tatars from the Crimean Peninsula. Nearly 200,000 men, women, and children were forcibly relocated to Central Asia and Siberia under brutal conditions, leading to the deaths of 8,000 during deportation and another 45,000 after arrival. The Soviets systematically attempted to erase Tatar heritage in Crimea.
Describing the deportation and its aftermath as an act of genocide, the resolution highlights that Ukraine already honors the memory of these victims on May 18. It also draws parallels to more recent events, noting that in 2014, the Russian Federation illegally annexed Crimea, following a similar pattern of persecution against the Crimean Tatars.
The resolution condemns Russia's actions, mentioning the 2016 ban on the Mejlis, the parliament of the Crimean Tatars, and the subsequent imprisonment and expulsion of Tatar activists, including long-time Mejlis chairman Mustafa Dzhemilev. Dzhemilev and other Crimean Tatar leaders were present in Sejm on the day the resolution was passed.
The Polish MPs expressed their deep sorrow over the genocide and persecution of the Crimean Tatars, acknowledging their significant contributions to Poland's history and national heritage, and the peaceful coexistence between Poles and Tatars throughout history.
The document also condemns Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea as a violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity and international law. It references the Sejm's previous resolution on the genocide in Ukraine, highlighting the systematic violence by Russian troops against Ukrainian civilians, which bears the hallmarks of genocide.
In conclusion, the Sejm reiterated its condemnation of Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine and called on the international community to hold the Russian authorities accountable for their crimes, urging the prosecution of those responsible at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Photo by Wikimedia commons.