On May 17, Jon Richardson, a former Australian diplomat who served in Eastern Europe, Belgrade, London and Canberra, and who also was Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria and Ghana, wrote the article “Time to recognise the Crimean Tatar genocide” for “The Interpreter”.
In this publication, the expert noted that scientists convincingly prove that the deportation of the Crimean Tatars by the Soviet authorities “constituted genocide, aimed at eliminating the Crimean Tatars as a self-identifying nationality”.
Let us remember that last year, as part of Mr. Richardson’s interest in Crimea and the Crimean Tatars and his corresponding developments, the representative of our Association Borys Babin talked with an Australian expert and received his comments on the issues outlined by the ARC, which were published by our Association.
As Mr. Richardson notes now, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, the Ukrainian parliament called on other countries to recognize it as genocide. The expert stated that “the Australian parliament and other legislatures should heed this call”, which would emphasize the rights of a long-oppressed people and would also repel territorial aggression and the Russia’s attempt to annex Crimea.
Jon Richardson also stated that claims “justifying” Crimea’s attempted annexation by force “are not only flimsy, but rest on the blood and tears of an indigenous people”. Moreover, “for Ukraine, continued Russian control of Crimea would remain a dagger pointed at the country’s underbelly – a springboard for renewed assault or blockade”, the expert noted.
