Russians aims to close Crimean Tatar school in occupied Crimea

Mykhailo Zahorodnii, journalist, "Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia"

In the city of Eski Kyrym (Staryi Krym), occupying Russian Federation authorities will close the Crimean Tatar secondary school № 2, named after the Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Amet-Khan Sultan. 

According to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova, such an action would be a violation of the right to an education in one’s native language.

"The Russian Federation, as the occupying power, is responsible for guaranteeing and respecting the rights of citizens living in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, including education in the native language and preservation of cultural identity," Denisova said.

The Crimean Tatar school is planned to be "merged" with a local Greek secondary school.

A meeting has already been held on this situation, but the parents of the children attending the school have decided to fight for the school’s preservation.

Since the beginning of the peninsula’s occupation, Russian authorities have changed the status of 16 Crimean Tatar schools: 5 were transferred to bilingual education, 4 became secondary schools, and only 7 were able to maintain their status.

The situation with Ukrainian-language schools in the occupied Crimea is even worse, with only one still officially registered in Feodosia.