Crimean Tatar paper “Kiyrym” resumes publication, for now without State funding
One of the two newspapers in the Crimean Tatar language – “Kiyrym” will be published until September on credit and thanks to support from readers and sponsors. The first issue came out on 16 July after a break of almost two months. Since then there have been two more issues on 20 and 23 July (the newspaper had long come out twice a week).
The Editor, Bekir Mamutov says that they have begun publishing the paper thanks to readers providing a certain amount, enabling them to pay off about a fifth of their debt to the printers. He said that the printers understand the position the newspaper is in and are not insisting on immediate full repayment.
The largest Crimean Tatar paper with a print run of 4 thousand, “Kiyrym” stopped coming out in May. Since the beginning of the year the Ukrainian government has totally stopped funding of this paper. Up till the end of May the newspaper had survived on subscriptions and was printed on credit
“Kiyrym” is the second newspaper in the Crimea which has stopped being published over the last year and a half, following the closure of “Krymskaya Svitlytsa”, a Ukrainian-language newspaper, last year.
Bekir Mamutov points out that his newspaper cannot turn to Armenia or Israel as members of the national minorities of those countries do. The Crimea is the Crimean Tatars only native home, as it is for Ukrainians.
In July an appeal was sent calling on the President and Head of the Crimean Government to take measures to support the newspaper. It stated:
“The ethnic press, particularly of a people without many representatives, cannot live without subsidies, cannot function as a business project. Support for the ethnic press is international and European practice. The Ukrainian state also guarantees lawful support for periodic publications coming out in languages of national minorities.
We ask for your involvement in promoting a speedy professional resolution concerning the newspaper Kiyrym”. We are convinced that such resolution is a matter of honour and reputation of the Ukrainian regime in power. “
New information from Telekritika