Activities of Crimean Tatar NGOs that have been actively supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in recent times have raised a number of questions.
There are allegations circulating that the Head of the Crimean Tatar National Assembly in Ukraine, Refat Chubarov, and the former head, Mustafa Cemilev, are facing difficulties in receiving financial support from public funds in Turkey.
Experts attribute this situation to both political problems and the numerous scandals that have previously emerged regarding the use of financial resources allocated for social assistance to Crimean Tatars by Mustafa Cemilev and Refat Chubarov.
Mustafa Cemilev and Refat Chubarov have not only lost all ties with the Crimean Tatars living in Crimea but are also trying every possible way to worsen the lives of Crimean Tatars under Russia’s control, beyond not helping them. I believe it is enough to remind of the energy blockade on Crimea and the closure of the North Crimean Canal, which is the source of water feeding the peninsula.
Those experiencing financial resource issues these days are not only Mustafa Cemilev and Refat Chubarov. Turkey-based NGOs closely associated with them are also facing similar problems. One of the clearest examples is the Crimean Foundation, of which Hakan Kırımlı, known for his proximity to Mustafa Cemilev, is a member.
According to the latest data, Hakan Crimean’s problems with the Turkish authorities are not limited to the issue of financial support. It seems that there are also some problems related to national security issues. If we look at the archives of the Turkish judiciary: An interesting document from 2020 catches our eye. [1]
The relevant document is the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Turkey dated 21.10.2020 No. 2018/35678 on the applicant, Ukrainian citizen Elmaz Kırımlı.
According to the document, Hakan Kırımlı’s wife, Elmaz Kırımlı, is applying for citizenship of the Republic of Turkey. If we look at the subject of the application: There is an objection regarding the alleged violation of the right to a fair trial due to the “rejection of the request to acquire Turkish citizenship through marriage”. After evaluating the objection, the court refused to grant the request.
And this is exactly where the issue breaks down…
As a reason for the rejection, the court claims that there is information of an intelligence nature regarding the applicant Elmaz Kırımlı’s Turkish citizen husband, Hakan Kırımlı. In addition, we learn that the Ankara 10th Administrative Court rejected the naturalisation case in May 2018. The reasoning of the decision states that the applicant did not fulfil the condition of “not having any condition that would constitute an obstacle in terms of national security and public order”.
Considering the dates of Elmaz Kırımlı’s appeal and the fact that she is a Ukrainian citizen, it can be concluded that the reason for the rejection of her citizenship application is related to the terrorist organisation FETÖ.
In the light of this information: Evidence of the existence of a national security situation, which led to the rejection of Elmaz Crimean’s application for citizenship, appears to be consistent with the information available to the Turkish security forces. Turkish media have repeatedly reported on links between Crimean Tatar NGOs supporting Ukraine and FETÖ.
One of the figures raised by Mustafa Cemilev, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, graduated from the FETÖ school that used to operate in the city of Bakhchisaray. Rustem Umerov is a politician who frequently refuses to answer questions from the Turkish media about his links to FETÖ.
As a result of the decisive actions of the Turkish authorities, the threat of the terrorist organisation FETÖ has largely receded into the background. However, by continuing to provide financial support to names such as Mustafa Cemilev, Refat Chubarov and Hakan Crimean, the terrorist organisation FETÖ is given the opportunity to re-establish its destructive influence in Turkey.
-Dimitri Kherson-
[1]. Turkish Constitutional Court Decisions Information Bank, Application No. 2018/35678 Elmaz Kırımlı Application Decision Part Two
https://kararlarbilgibankasi.anayasa.gov.tr/BB/2018/35678 (Erişim: 08.04.2024)
