Crimeans should be learning that their referendum to join Russia was a case of one vote, one rigged outcome, one time. Enjoy your new Russian citizenship:
On April 15, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report on Crimea documenting what the Russian government has tried to hide by denying international monitors access to Crimea: the imprisonment, torture, and killings of Crimean citizens who opposed Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula prior to the March referendum. ...
If the Russian government begins to impose through its occupation and purported annexation of Crimea the repressive laws it is increasingly implementing in Russia, Crimean residents may experience surprising restrictions on the rights they once freely exercised.
Surprising? What the Hell did those pro-Russian Crimeans expect when they chose to break in to the prison?
"If?" That will be a "when." "Mainland" Ukrainians should at least be grateful that the Russians couldn't wait a bit longer to begin abusing Crimeans. Waiting to imprison, torture, and kill opponents until after Russia took eastern Ukraine would have made far more sense, right? But the Russians couldn't manage business before pleasure, I guess.
Ukraine should use their UN seat while they can. Call for a UN peacekeeping mission in Crimea. Demand UN access to Crimeans who want to escape the prison of Russia rather than live under the new tsar.
Let's make sure that everyone in eastern Ukraine gets to see this information about life in Russia, eh? And this information about who is trying to lead them into the prison.
And spread the word before the UN needs to write a far longer report on abuses in eastern Ukraine under Russian occupation.
