The "Supreme Court" of Crimea on Tuesday banned the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, recognizing it as an extremist organization. Mejlis is self-styled highest executive-representative body of the Crimean Tatars.
During the session, "the prosecutor" of the Crimea Natalia Poklonskaya, who initiated of the process, claimed that the Mejlis was allegedly collaborating with the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is considered a terrorist organiisations in Russia.
"The members of the Mejlis are puppets operated by big Western puppeteers," said Poklonskaya.
The representative of the Mejlis Nariman Jalal, in turn, said that "the court’s" decision will be appealed, including in the ECHR. He also stressed that the UN and the OSCE have stated support to Mejlis.
"International organizations such as the UN, the OSCE, the governments of Turkey, the United States, the European Union have repeatedly stated their support to Mejlis. On the basis of the plaintiff's logic, all this also applies to terrorist organizations," Jalal said.
On 13 April, "the prosecutor's office" of the Crimea has suspended the activities of Mejlis.
On 18 April, the Russian Ministry of Justice put the Mejlis on the list of extremist organizations.