Dzhemilev, who was banned by Russia to return to the Crimean territory, informed about the issues Crimean Tatars face after the occupation by Russia. According to Dzhemilev, the Tatar kidnappings, prohibition to use native language, restrictions of assembly rights and even murders based solely on ethnic grounds in occupied Crimea became common occurrence.
On May 18 Crimean Tatars mark the 70th anniversary of deportation. However, Russia has forbidden to commemorate this event in the occupied Crimea area. On that day, following Joseph Stalin's order, more than 230,000 Tatars (mostly women and children) were deported from Crimea to Central Asia and Siberia.
