Halya Coynash: Russia bans remembrance events on anniversary of Crimean Tatar deportation
A file picture taken 18 May 2004 shows a Crimean Tatar man crying during a mass rally held on the 60th anniversary of the deportation of Tatars from Crimea.
Regional mejlis or Crimean Tatar self-governing bodies are being prevented from holding any remembrance gatherings to mark the 72nd anniversary of the 1944 Deportation of the entire Crimean Tatar people from their homeland. The escalation in repression over the last week or so has also raised fears that Russia may try to provoke trouble in order to orchestrate a bloody crackdown.
