Simferopol: Thousands of Tatars in Crimea marked the 70th anniversary of the community's deportation by Stalin on Sunday amid tight security and despite an official ban.
There were no reports of unrest even though tensions have been running high between the Turkic-speaking Muslim community and local authorities since Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula in March.
An AFP reporter said up to 20,000 Tatars took part in a rally in the rain in the Ak-Mechet district a few kilometres from the centre of the regional capital Simferopol.
A resolution was adopted calling for "territorial autonomy" for the community, Tatar representatives in the Crimean government and "an end to discrimination against and the repression of the Tatars of Crimea".
Community leaders had called off a traditional rally in Simferopol's central square after local authorities banned all mass gatherings until June 6 amid fears they would descend into violence.
Refat Chubarov, the leader of the Tatar assembly, or Mejlis, told reporters the rally ban had raised concerns about Russia's respect for their rights.
"No people can exist if it can't preserve its historical memory, especially when we are talking about the fates of hundreds of thousands of victims."
Many families returned in the late 1980s but distrust has lingered, and there are ongoing disputes over land ownership.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also denounced fresh rights abuses, saying in a statement: "Murder, beatings and the kidnapping of Crimean Tatars and others have become standard fare."
There were no reports of unrest even though tensions have been running high between the Turkic-speaking Muslim community and local authorities since Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula in March.
An AFP reporter said up to 20,000 Tatars took part in a rally in the rain in the Ak-Mechet district a few kilometres from the centre of the regional capital Simferopol.
A resolution was adopted calling for "territorial autonomy" for the community, Tatar representatives in the Crimean government and "an end to discrimination against and the repression of the Tatars of Crimea".
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Community leaders had called off a traditional rally in Simferopol's central square after local authorities banned all mass gatherings until June 6 amid fears they would descend into violence.
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Refat Chubarov, the leader of the Tatar assembly, or Mejlis, told reporters the rally ban had raised concerns about Russia's respect for their rights.
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"No people can exist if it can't preserve its historical memory, especially when we are talking about the fates of hundreds of thousands of victims."
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Many families returned in the late 1980s but distrust has lingered, and there are ongoing disputes over land ownership.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry also denounced fresh rights abuses, saying in a statement: "Murder, beatings and the kidnapping of Crimean Tatars and others have become standard fare."
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