Crimea, NU Online
Crimea's indigenous Muslim Tatars have taken the first steps towards seeking autonomy for the Black Sea peninsula, following Crimea's independent declaration and joining Russia. <>

"In the life of every nation there comes a time when it must make decisions that will determine its future," Crimean Tatars' assembly leader Refat Chubarov told more than 200 delegates, Reuters reported on Saturday( 29/3).

The 300,000-strong Muslim minority makes up less than 15 percent of Crimea's population of 2 million.

Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16, in which 96.8 percent of the participants voted for rejoining Russia, with a turnout of 83.1 percent.

After Crimea's referendum, fears of Muslim Tatars were doubled, voicing concerns over losing freedom and reviving the memories of exile and prosecution they faced in 1944.

The Tatars, who have inhabited Crimea for centuries, were deported in May 1944 by Stalin, who accused them of collaborating with the Nazis.

The entire Tatar population, more than 200,000 people, was transported in brutal conditions thousands of miles away to Uzbekistan and other locations. Many died along the way or soon after arriving.

The Soviets confiscated their homes, destroying their mosques and turning them into warehouses. One was converted into a Museum of Atheism.

It was not until perestroika in the late 1980s that most of the Tatars were allowed back, a migration that continued after Ukraine became independent with the Soviet collapse in 1991.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq