Today we raise the Crimean Tatar flag as one of the symbols of the struggle for the liberation of Crimea from Russian occupation
Today in Ukraine is honoring the national flag of the Crimean Tatars, one of the indigenous peoples of Crimea.
Every nation has symbols that have forever absorbed all its victories and defeats, pain and joy, memories and plans. But, most importantly, they mean that the people who created them were able to withstand the difficult historical battles and carry them with them. For the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, one such symbol is its flag.
The Crimean Tatar flag combines the history, present, and future of the people. Kok-Bairak (blue canvas) and the coat of arms of Tarah-Tamga are the national symbols of the Crimean Tatars. Mavi Kok (blue color) is a synonym for purity and freedom in the Turkic peoples. It is associated with the sky and the sea. Tarah-Tamga is a family symbol of the Gireys, the ruling dynasty of the Crimean Khanate.
These symbols, combined in a flag, the Crimean Tatar people carried through the turbulent XX century. The Crimean Tatar flag was first approved by the Kurultay of Crimean Tatars in 1917, immediately after the February Revolution. However, after the Bolshevik occupation of Crimea, he found himself outlawed. For decades, the people were forced to live under the symbols approved in Moscow, to go through World War II and deportation, only to be able to raise their flag again in 1991 in independent Ukraine.
In 2014, the descendants of Soviet enslavers began a new phase of the war for the right to conquer other peoples. They occupied the Crimea, began to persecute dissenters, kidnap, torture, kill, and convict on trumped-up charges. About 80% of political prisoners in Crimea are Crimean Tatars, including Nariman Dzhelyalov, the first deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatar People's Majlis.
So today we all, together with the Crimean Tatars, raise the Crimean Tatar flag not only as a symbol of the people, but also as one of the symbols of the struggle for the de-occupation of Crimea. We believe that truth and justice will win, and Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar flags will fly again in liberated Simferopol.
