Ethnic communities vie for land in Crimea

NTV Mir, Moscow
10 Apr 05

[Presenter] There has been an incident of land-grabbing in the
Crimea. Before the beginning of the tourist season, the ethnic
communities of the peninsula reminded everybody about their demands in
a way that makes the authorities fear that they might lose control
over the situation. Here is a report by Anna Konyukova.

[Correspondent] A group of Crimean Tatars has seized the children’s
diving centre Shelf near Sudak [Crimean southern coastal resort]. The
intruders demand that the land should be handed over to the Crimean
Tatars.

[Angry protester] I am going to beg nobody. This is our land and I
have a right to this land.

[Correspondent] Several employees of the centre were beaten up by the
intruders. The diving centre’s director is one of the victims.

[Igor Opsha, director of the children’s diving centre Shelf] I had a
conversation with them, if you can call it a conversation. These
people have come here on orders to grab land.

[Correspondent] Seafront plots of land are seized in Sudak every year.
However, this time news about the invasion of the children’s centre
has provoked a wave of indignation among the residents of Sudak and
neighbouring villages. In a few hours, several thousand people
gathered on so-called alternative fields of protests. After
spontaneous rallies, the protesters passed a resolution to draw up a
list of all residents of Sudak region who need land and demand that
the republic’s authorities distribute land in turn, regardless of
nationality.

[Alternative protester] Here there are Germans, Greeks too, those who
were also deported. They are not trying to jump the queue, they want
to get land by law but cannot do so because of land grabbers.

[Correspondent] The organizers believe that a separate protest camp of
German, Greek, Armenian and Bulgarian communities must remind the
Crimean authorities that these peoples, just like the Crimean Tatars,
have the status of deported people. The protesters are saying they
will continue until the authorities ban land grabbing.

The population of the tent camps and protest fields is increasing
every hour. People are coming by car, bus and even on foot. The local
authorities are saying they are unlikely to keep the situation under
control for long.