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Crimea and Sevastopol

Ukraine obliges journalists and human rights activists to obtain permits to enter Crimea

Foreign journalists should obtain a special permit from Ukraine’s State Migration Service, and permits for human rights activists are issued by the Ukrainian foreign ministry

© ITAR-TASS/Maxim Nikitin/Archive

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Crimean leader: Crimea has no official contacts with Kiev

KIEV, September 24. /TASS/. Ukraine’s government has obliged foreign journalists, human rights activists and representatives of international organizations to obtain permits to enter Crimea, according to a government resolution published on its official website on Thursday. The resolution amends the rules of entry to Crimea issued in early June.

The document says foreign journalists should obtain a special permit from Ukraine’s State Migration Service. Permits for human rights activists and employees of international government and non-government organizations are issued by the Ukrainian foreign ministry. Representatives of religious organizations are obliged to get a permit from the ministry of culture.

In early June, Ukraine’s government obliged foreigners and persons without citizenship to obtain special permits to enter and leave Crime. The resolution to this effect came into force on June 10.

Amid a political crisis and the change of power in Ukraine in February 2014, Crimea’s Supreme Council (parliament) and Sevastopol’s City Council adopted on March 11, 2014 Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s declaration of independence. A referendum on reunification with Russia was held on March 16, 2014. With a record-breaking turnout of 80%, the overwhelming majority of Crimea’s and Sevastopol residents, mostly ethic Russians, (96.7 and 95.6%, respectively) voted in favour of ceding from Ukraine to join Russia. After the treaty of Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s reunification with Russia was approved by the Russian parliament, President Vladimir Putin on March 21, 2014 signed a federal law on admitting two new constituent entities in the Russian Federation.

Despite the absolutely convincing results of the referendum, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union have been refusing to recognize Crimea as a part of Russia.

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Crimea and Sevastopol Ukraine

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