Published April 26, 2016
The Supreme Court in the Russia-occupied peninsula of Crimea has banned the Crimean Tatar legislature as extremist.
Tuesday's ban follows months of persecution, expulsions and jailing of prominent Tatar leaders as well as rank-and-file protesters.
Russia's Justice Ministry earlier this month ruled the Mejlis was an extremist group, paving the way for the outright ban.
Crimean Tatars, who suffered a mass deportation at the hands of Soviet authorities in 1944, were arguably the only force opposing the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 from Ukraine.
Tatars, including prominent leaders with a Soviet dissident background like Mustafa Dzhemilev, were initially invited to contribute to the new government in Crimea. But a swift ban on Tatar assemblies and the heavy-handedness of the Russian government put a strain on efforts to work together.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/court-in-russia-occupied-crimea-bans-tatar-assembly