Poland Recognizes Deportation of Crimean Tatars as Genocide

The lower house of Poland's parliament, the Sejm, passed a resolution on July 12 condemning the genocide of the Crimean Tatars in 1944, perpetrated by the Soviet authorities through deportation.

"This decision is not about history, but about the future. It is a decision to condemn genocide. Condemning genocide is the duty of every politician," said Pavel Koval, historian and head of the Polish Commission on Foreign Affairs, during the discussion.

Koval added that Stalin was responsible for those events, but genocide could happen again, as Russian leader Vladimir Putin challenges the borders of politicians. He emphasized that this resolution signifies more than just the ties between Poles and Crimean Tatars.

"As politicians, we must uphold international law," concluded the parliamentarian.

Later in the morning, the Sejm adopted a resolution honoring the memory of the victims of the Crimean Tatar genocide. Out of 432 deputies present, 414 voted in favor, 16 against, and 2 abstained.

Present at the Sejm session were Refat Chubarov, head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, and Mustafa Dzhemiliev, one of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar national movement and member of the Ukrainian parliament.

In May, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) responded to an appeal from the Ukrainian Parliament with a written declaration urging recognition of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 as genocide against the Crimean Tatar people. The PACE document condemns human rights violations against the Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union and Russia and calls on all partners to recognize the deportation as genocide against this people.