Poland recognizes 1944 Crimean Tatar deportation as genocide

The Polish parliament has formally recognized the 1944 deportation of Ukraine's Crimean Tatars as genocide against the Crimean Tatar people.

The Sejm, Poland's lower house of parliament, overwhelmingly approved a resolution "to commemorate the victims of genocide against the Crimean Tatar people", Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The resolution passed with a vote of 414-16, with two abstentions.

It noted that on May 18, 1944, Soviet authorities began forcibly deporting Crimean Tatars from the Crimean Peninsula, relocating approximately 200,000 people to Central Asia and Siberia within just three days.

The resolution declared the deportation of Crimean Tatars from Crimea in 1944 as an act of genocide against their people.

Polish lawmakers also condemned Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea as a "blatant violation" of territorial integrity, international law, and the UN Charter. This annexation has been similarly condemned by the UN General Assembly, the European Union, and Türkiye.

Poland now joins Canada, Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania in officially recognizing the Crimean Tatar deportation as genocide.

On May 18, 1944, tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars were forcibly exiled to Central Asia by Joseph Stalin's Soviet regime, which accused them of collaborating with Nazi occupying forces. Many of those deported endured harsh living conditions, leading to widespread starvation and disease, resulting in significant loss of life.

Similar to the Crimean Tatars, the Circassians, a predominantly Muslim group, faced severe hardships under Russian rule. In 1864, following their defeat near Sochi, Russia expelled nearly 1.5 million Circassians from their homeland, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands during the forced relocation.

Many Circassian exiles found refuge in the Ottoman Empire, settling across various regions including present-day Jordan.