Turkey on Saturday condemned the conviction of seven Crimean Tatars by a Russian court earlier this week.
The country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement:
“It is regrettable to suppress the Tatar Turkish community, which is the essential element of the Crimean Peninsula, by such methods.”
The statement added that it will continue to stand with the Crimean Tatars, who peacefully defend their rights and interests and strive to make their voices heard through democratic methods.
On Wednesday, a military court in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, sentenced the Crimean Tatars to prison from 13 to 19 years over “terror” charges.
The EU called on Russia to quash this ruling and to release all illegally detained Ukrainians without delay.
