Crimean Tatars' unending struggle for freedom has been nothing less than epic, and much of it is represented in the long life of Mustafa Dzhemilev. Finally, a film producer has recognized his story for what it is: a compelling tale of historic sweep featuring a legendary protagonist of distinguished bearing. 

Tamila Tasheva, cofounder and chairwoman of the CrimeaSoS human rights organization, produced the full-length docudrama  Mustafa , which was released in 2016 at the annual Kyiv Molodist International Film Festival and screened last year at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York. Tasheva recently showed the film together with Dzhemilev before a Washington audience at the National Endowment for Democracy, which helped fund the film. Following the movie, a panel of experts discussed Crimea's history and current situation.

The film,  available on YouTube with English subtitles , chronicles the life of Dzhemilev, now 73. It opens with his family's 1944 deportation from Crimea to what was then the Uzbek Republic in Stalin's Soviet Union ...  CLICK for more

Hunger Strike by Ukrainian Filmmaker Renews Calls for Russia to Release Political Prisoners

Oleg was arrested in May 2014 and accused of planning to set fire to a "United Russia" political party office in Crimea. He was sentenced to twenty years in a Russian prison. Although there was little evidence against him, the prosecutors used his confession, extracted under torture and which he later retracted, to convict him. Many of the prisoners are Crimean residents and Crimean Tatars, who also "confessed" to their crimes under torture. In reality, they are guilty of little else than protesting Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.

Although Sentsov has accepted some "supportive therapy" from prison authorities, he will continue his hunger strike until at least June 14, the opening day of the FIFA World Cup hosted by Russia this year. Today, prominent democracy advocates issued a statement supporting Sentsov and urging the Russian government to immediately release all Ukrainian political prisoners and cease the persecution of Crimean Tatars. Read the statement below and help us to #FreeSentsov.

Mustafa Dzhemilev, the Ukrainian President's Special Commissioner on Crimean Affairs, dropped by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation on May 21, 2018 to discuss the plight of Russian-occupied Crimea. 

 

Participating in the discussion (see photo above) were Orest Deychakiwsky (USUF Board member), Nadia K. McConnell (USUF President), Valeriy Chaly (Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S.), Tamila Tasheva ( Crimea SOS ), John A. Kun (USUF Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer), William Green Miller (former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and USUF Board member) and his wife, Suzanne.

Several reform-oriented politicians recently visited the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation to give their assessment of the current political situation in Ukraine.  During an April 24th meeting at USUF, Ukrainian parliamentarians Viktor Chumak and Oksana Prodan shared their prescriptions for reinvigorating Ukraine's reform efforts.  Mr. Chumak, who is Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Preventing and Combating Corruption, stressed the importance of demonopolization of the economy, creation of an anti-corruption court and adoption of an exclusively proportional (party-list) system for parliamentary elections.  Ms. Prodan, who sits on the Committee on Taxation and Customs Policy, said that besides pursuing cases of corruption, it is critically important to create strong mechanisms for preventing corruption, emphasizing that this will create a good business environment.

Earlier in April, Oleksandr Solontay, a leading Maidan activist and head of the Political Council of Ukraine's Power of People ( Syla Lyudey) political party visited USUF.  He was accompanied by Andriy Putilov, a politically independent former governor of the Kherson region of Ukraine, who was a passionate participant of the 2014 Maidan Revolution and the 2004 Orange Revolution.  Mr. Solontay described intensive efforts at the grass-roots level to build Power of People along the lines of a Western-style party, focusing on policy rather than personalities.

By Anastasia Krasnosilska, Atlantic Council, June 13, 2018 

USDOC SABIT IT 2018 program picks tech startups from former Soviet Union

The US Department of Commerce (USDOC) International Trade Administration established the SABIT program in 1990 to promote the economic restructuring of countries from the former Soviet Union.  There are several group programs within this initiative including Health Care and IT.

The SABIT IT tech startup program recently chose 18 participants for its June 2018 executive training.  The companies come from six countries of the former Soviet Union, including Azerbaijan, the Kirgiz Republic, Moldova, Tajikistan, Russia and Ukraine.

Ukraine (seven companies) and Russia (five companies) account for a majority of the companies chosen for the program.

The two-and-a-half week program will take place in the U.S. from June 12th-30th, 2018.  The IT professionals in the program will have the opportunity for training and networking during a tour that includes Wash., D.C, New York, Silicon Valley and other important U.S. technology-related venues.  On June 18th in New York City, Razom IT will sponsor a VC pitch night for the Ukrainian tech startups.

The participating Ukrainian tech startups are:

 

The last two weeks have seen increased fire from Russia-led forces - not just against Ukrainian positions, but Ukrainian population centers as well - particularly near Svitlodarsk. As many delegations have noticed, shell struck and killed Daria Kazemirova, a 15-year old girl in the Ukrainian-controlled town of Zalizne, as she was playing in the courtyard of her grandmother's house. Russia continues to demonstrate callous disregard for civilians in the Donbas, and clear contempt for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Mr. Chair, Russia started this conflict; Russia fuels it; and Russia must choose to end it.

Amid intensified fighting, the SMM observed a fivefold increase in the use of heavy weapons in the conflict zone last week, most of which appear to belong to Russia and its forces. The SMM found 20 heavy weapons in Russia-controlled territory, the location and use of which are prohibited by the Minsk agreements, including surface-to-air missiles, tanks, and mortars. By contrast, the SMM found only one such weapon in government-controlled territory.

Mr. Chair, the security situation underscores the profound need for progress on humanitarian issues. UNICEF estimates that every week one child is killed or maimed by explosive weapons or landmines. The lives of more than 220,000 children remain at risk. Russia-led forces remain dug in around key civilian infrastructure sites like the Donetsk Filtration Station, and fire with impunity around them; on May 17 a chlorine pipe was damaged from shelling. Poisonous chlorine gas could have spread to neighboring towns, jeopardizing thousands of lives, if the Station's workers had not managed to shut off the pipe beforehand.

Mr. Chair, given this worsening situation, several steps can, and should be, taken to mitigate the human suffering and build positive momentum toward implementation of the Minsk agreements. International experts should be allowed to assess the risks posed by chemical and radiological sites in the conflict area, so that remedial measures can be taken before disaster strikes. Reports of incidences of tuberculosis and other preventable diseases in Russia-controlled areas are on the rise, underscoring the need for humanitarian aid organizations to be permitted to deliver lifesaving assistance to those who need it. And prisoners on both sides should be released on the basis of the "all-for-all" principle, as spelled out in the Minsk agreements.

Mr. Chair, we take note of the recent report by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union documenting the horrific abuses Russia-led forces have committed against Ukrainian civilians and service members they have captured - including killings, torture, mock executions, and sexual violence. The United States calls on Russia to fully investigate these credible allegations and hold any perpetrators to account.

Regrettably, Russia has continued to abuse the population of occupied Crimea, choosing to ratchet up violence and intimidation against Crimea's Tatar community. The United States condemns the abduction and beating of Crimean Tatar activist Asan Egiz near Simferopol on May 23 by men in police uniforms. We call on the occupation authorities to hold those responsible accountable. The United States also calls on Russia to bring to justice those responsible for the unsolved disappearances of Ervin Ibragimov and at least a dozen other Crimean Tatars since the occupation began. We are also concerned that Russian security forces raided the houses of the founders of the NGO "Crimean Solidarity" on May 21, and arrested an aide to the Chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis. Russia must cease politically-motivated harassment and abuse of Crimean Tatars and other activists.

Mr. Chair, the United States remains deeply concerned about the condition of Ukrainian activists Oleh Senstov and the over sixty other Crimean political prisoners currently in Russian custody. Sentsov was arrested by Russian occupation authorities in Crimea on trumped-up charges, transported across an international border against his will, and languishes in a Russia prison. He has been on a hunger strike since May 14. Crimean political prisoners should be released immediately and allowed to return to Ukraine.

Mr. Chair, Russia's aggression and conduct in Ukraine undermine the core principles and commitments of the OSCE, as well as our collective security. The United States fully supports Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We do not, nor will we ever, recognize Russia's purported annexation of Crimea. Crimea-related sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine. We join our European and other partners in restating that our sanctions against Russia for its aggression in eastern Ukraine will remain until Russia fully implements its commitments under the Minsk agreements.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.