Muslim cemeteries in the Crimea to be guarded
The Acting Head of the Crimean Central Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Mykola Illichov has issued an order to place all Muslim cemeteries in the Crimea under guard. This was announced on Friday following the latest attack on a cemetery near Simferopol.
Mr Illichov named the desecration of the Muslim cemetery “deliberate provocation”. He said that the manner of the attack demonstrated this, with the gravestones not being smashed, but careful dismantled and placed on the ground, as well as the lack of any tracks. This was also confined by the time factor, coming two months to the day since the attack on the Muslim cemetery in the Nizhnyohirske settlement and during the early hours of the day after the enforcement of a court order evicting squatters in Alushta, on the eve of a visit to the Crimea by a UN Mission on Inter-ethnic relations and almost a month before the anniversary of the Deportation on 18 May.
He stresses that over recent times “certain extremist forces have been trying through their disgusting acts of provocation to disrupt public harmony and peace in the Crimea, and to incite inter-ethnic and inter-faith enmity.” He is adamant that they will not allow destabilization of the situation and incitement to enmity in the Crimea and warns that they will take the most decisive and harsh measures against those responsible.
He also called on the public of the Crimea to demonstrate calm and tolerance and not give in to extremist calls and thoughtless actions.
He promised that the police would make all efforts to find those responsible, and most important, to find the real instigators of this shameful act of desecration.
Based on a report at http://crimea.unian.net/