Zelenskyy awards Hero of Ukraine title to Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemiliev

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has granted the title of Hero of Ukraine to MP Mustafa Dzhemiliev, the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, and congratulated him on his 80th birthday.

Source: Zelenskyy; Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Mustafa Dzhemiliev turned 80 today. I congratulated him, thanked him for defending the freedom of Ukraine and the Crimean Tatar people, and awarded him the title of Hero of Ukraine. 

He is a strong, dignified and courageous man. He has dedicated his life to protecting the freedom of nations. I wished him what we all wish for: victory for Ukraine and freedom for every part of our country. And we are doing all we can to bring the liberation of Crimea closer."

Details: Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, also reported this [the Mejlis is the representative body of the Crimean Tatar people – ed.]. 

For reference: Mustafa Dzhemiliev is a Crimean Tatar politician and public figure who chaired the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars in 1991-2013, and a former Soviet dissident. Dzhemiliev was repeatedly imprisoned and tortured in the USSR because of his protests and opposition to the deportation of Crimean Tatars and the prohibition on their return to their homeland.

In 2014-2019, he served as the Ukrainian President’s Commissioner for Crimean Tatar Affairs. In 2015, Dzhemiliev was awarded the title of People's Hero of Ukraine, and in July 2019, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the European Solidarity party.

Dzhemiliev worked tirelessly on diplomatic negotiations for the liberation of Crimea, in particular with the Turkish authorities, the release of Ukrainian political prisoners, and the struggle for human rights in occupied Crimea. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

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