Amnesty International condemns Russia's attempts to 'change' the identity of Crimean Peninsula

Amnesty International has announced that since the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia a decade ago, Russia has sought to erase the Ukrainian identity of the peninsula overlooking the Black Sea.

It clarified that similar practices are being applied in other areas annexed by Russia in Ukraine.

Amnesty International stated: "During ten years of occupation, Russia has done everything in its power to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula."

It added: "Moscow's policies also aim to change the ethnic composition of the peninsula."

The organization sees these policies as a model for Russia's plans in other areas it occupies in Ukraine.

The report discusses attempts to reshape the population composition of the Crimean Peninsula, inhabited by a large community of Tatars, who largely boycotted the controversial referendum in 2014.

The human rights organization stated that Russian authorities have sought, over the past decade, to suppress Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identities through various restrictions, including education, religion, media, and the judiciary.

AFP