Ukraine to File 5th Lawsuit Against Russia Over Tatar Mejlis This Fall

Ukraine plans to file a fifth lawsuit against Russia concerning the banning of Mejlis, an organization representing the Crimean Tatar ethnic minority, to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in fall, Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko said Friday.

KIEV (Sputnik) — Crimean Supreme Court on April 26 ruled that Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people is an extremist organization, and outlawed it in Russia, responding to a lawsuit filed by Natalia Poklonskaya, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Crimea.

"Now Mejlis lawyers asked for a little time, as they want to give evidence, but the suit is ready and will be submitted in September," Petrenko said.

According to him, the lawsuit will relate to violations of Articles 5-7 of the European Convention, claiming that everyone has the right to liberty and security of person, everyone charged with a criminal offense shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty.

Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014 after 96 percent of the peninsula's residents who voted in a referendum on the matter did so in favor of the move. Mejlis leaders Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov opposed the reunification and left the peninsula for Ukraine. They have contributed to the blockade of the peninsula imposed by Ukraine, as well as accusing Russia of violating Crimean Tatars' rights, which has been refuted by Moscow.

Crimean Tatars is a Turkic ethnic group that currently accounts for an estimated 13 percent, or about 260,000 people, of the Crimean population.